Lux Aeterna
by Zellarius Burvenia
Summary: Post-KH alternate timeline where Riku killed Sora. Organization XIII is now free to conquer all; with darkness and nothingness at war for control of the universe, is there still hope?
1. A Flame Extinguished

I have harnessed the shadows that stride from world to world to sow death and madness.

-H.P. Lovecraft, _From Beyond_

In darkness one may be ashamed of what one does, without the shame of disgrace.

-Sophocles

If it is nothingness that awaits us, let us make an injustice of it; let us fight against destiny, even though without hope of victory.

-Miguel de Unamuno

* * *

Sora's fourteenth year began and ended in darkness. A warm, not yet sweltering July saw the end of his thirteenth. By August he was prepared to leave his home behind as he had left his first year of adolescence: fondly remembered, dearly beloved, and soundly discarded in favor of greater things. Beyond the all-encompassing sea of his world lay infinitely many sights to be seen, as-yet indescribable adventures to be had, and innumerable stories inherent in such experiences – told by countless unique outsiders, or carved into the annals of history by Sora and friends. Riku, his best friend, had planned an escape since his fourteenth birthday; Kairi, Sora's first and only love since meeting in kindergarten nine years ago, had spent the intervening time between the boys' birthdays (and consequently her own) dreaming of it. Sora's ascendance marked the end of the wait: the week before summer ended, plans for a raft were drawn up and very nearly fulfilled.

But the catalyst for their exodus was the destruction of their home. Riku, impatient for new horizons, had opened the door he and Sora had discovered long ago in the Secret Place, that innocuous cave from their childhood. It was an open invitation to the darkness beyond, and in a single night of despair and tragedy, the Destiny Islands were consumed by the unstoppable force of eldritch horror that was the Heartless.

But in a way, Sora, Riku, and Kairi would realize their dreams of exploration. For Kairi, the price was her heart. For Riku, it was the forsaking of his friend, as he turned to darkness to fulfill his ambitions. Sora, as many would put it, had greatness thrust upon him; the loss of his home and everyone he knew, in the space of an evening, had left him with an entirely new destiny. He was one of the Keyblade wielders of times long past, called upon to defend all existence from an endless tide of darkness. Of course he would not be alone in this endeavor; Donald the mage and Goofy the knight remained faithfully by his side, as the unlikely hero traveled from world to world, striking down Heartless in all their forms. His goal: find the source of the darkness and destroy it.

At Hollow Bastion, the ruined former fortress of King Ansem the Wise, he _almost_ succeeded.

The assault on the formidable castle was a long-awaited and corrupt reunion. Sora and Riku met that day as enemies, prepared to kill each other over the catatonic body of their beloved Kairi. Light and darkness dueled as the boys fought in the highest room of the tallest tower of Hollow Bastion, Kairi unconscious mere meters away and Heartless massing on the other side of the portal before them; a once-unbreakable friendship tearing itself apart for the good of all things.

But when Riku blocked what would have been a killing blow from a heartbroken Sora, grabbing his opponent's shirt with his free hand and throwing him to the ground, their love was to perish in vain.

* * *

Sora found himself flat on his back all of a sudden, his former friend standing triumphantly over him. A surge of panic fueled a desperate swing of his Keyblade at Riku's legs; that attack was easily parried and rewarded with unimaginable pain as Riku brought his foot down upon Sora's Keyblade arm. The hero of light felt his forearm snap, agony burning it with the heat of a sun and radiating through his body, leaving him in a horrific marriage of scream and sob as the Keyblade vanished. Riku's foot moved to Sora's abdomen, preventing him from rising as the champion of darkness leveled his sword at Sora's chest. "This is the end of us, Sora," Riku spat, gazing for the last time into his enemy's eyes. "And all of it is your fault." With a single unbroken stroke, the front of Sora's shirt was cut in two, laying bare his chest to the victorious Riku.

"We could have stayed friends if you had joined me in the darkness. We could have saved Kairi together!" Riku's intense expression of battle-fury gave way to one of disgust. "Instead, you chose the losing side. You threw away your one chance at fixing everything! Kairi deserves better than you."

Sora struggled to throw Riku off of him, but abandoned this effort; every movement only brought a fresh wave of searing pain from his arm. Fighting tears, he met Riku's eyes with a look not of anger, but of regret. "Riku! You don't have to do this." Sora shuddered for a moment, feeling blood soak his right side, and continued. "The darkness gave you all this power, but what will it do for you if it wins today? All it wants is for you to beat me. If you win, we both lose!" He gasped, tears betraying him and overflowing his eyes as Riku ground his foot into his stomach, but found the strength to speak one last time. "There's still light in you somewhere, Riku…you just need to find it - for you, for me, for Kairi…for everything."

Riku didn't even dignify Sora's plea with a smirk. He remained stoic, only closing his eyes and shaking his head as he drew his sword back. "I gave it up for us, Sora. If that wasn't good enough for you…I'm sorry." With this final pronouncement, Riku thrust his arm forward once more. The sword penetrated Sora's chest without even a hint of blood; it was his heart that was under attack, not his body. The failed Keyblade wielder inhaled sharply, his body arching instinctively; then he was still. Riku withdrew his weapon from Sora's corpse, and where it exited light poured forth. Soft beams radiated from where Sora's heart had been, quickly spreading across his body; just as quickly, the light faded, Sora with it.

Riku eyed Sora's final resting place, and nodded once in satisfaction. A noise from behind him caught his attention; it had segued into a scratching at his leg by the time he turned around. Looking down, Riku discovered a tiny Shadow Heartless, pitifully attacking the killer of its former body. With a distasteful grimace, Riku stepped back and beheaded the thing.

* * *

Half a universe away, eleven cloaked figures sat assembled atop thrones in a doorless, windowless conference hall, blinding in its ivory furnishing. A portal of darkness appeared at the summit of the third lowest, and a twelfth cloaked figure stepped out, seating itself without a sound. This was a young man, barely into his twenties, whose steel-blue hair partially obscured his face; his single visible eye was fixed on the inhabitant of the highest throne in the room, who addressed him.

"Number VI," Xemnas began, in a voice that resonated throughout the massive, sterile room. "What have you to report?"

Zexion's answer was exactly what his superior wanted to hear. "The Keyblade wielder is dead; when the seventh Princess of Heart takes her place with the others, Xehanort's Heartless will have met its immediate goals, and shall dispose of Riku. The time for our offensive is now."

Xemnas nodded in approval. "Well done, Zexion." Then, to the entire group: "The Final Keyhole is open; the Door to Darkness stands unlocked. Today we prepare for war. My brethren in nothingness: find and recruit our thirteenth."

* * *

Hello, everyone!

I am so, so sorry Ashes to Ashes is taking so long. I've had way too much to deal with lately - when you try to balance your school's IB program with your writing, IB wins. Though I haven't said it outright, if I go another week without posting "Flower," consider Ashes to Ashes on temporary hiatus these past few months and in the near future. Now that the school musical (Anything Goes) is over, however, I should have a lot more time on my hands for my stories. This is something I've been kicking around for a while, and may or may not be a good idea. But really, what if the forces battling for control of the universe were the Heartless and Organization XIII, and light didn't enter into it? I couldn't resist. More to come, I _promise_.

Love and thanks to all the readers,

Zellarius Burvenia


	2. Combustion

With Xemnas's pronouncement, the Organization dispersed without further briefing. That was one of its unwritten tenets: victory by any means necessary. The Superior generally didn't care how you went about the mission, so long as it was completed. Conventional groups would phrase it differently: "Be your own boss!" "Set your own hours!" "Have it your way!" But the Organization didn't hold recruitment drives – one ended up with it by the machinations of fate. Nobody decides to lose his heart.

Such was Axel and Larxene's discussion post-meeting. The latest Keyblade master had fallen, and whoever found his doubtlessly powerful Nobody stood to gain much from his discovery.

"Ten munny says he fights. Zexion tells me this one knows his way around a battlefield." Axel's gait was relaxed and unhurried, in contrast with the gravity of the mission. Larxene followed at his side as they strolled down the Silent Highway, the cracked, empty eight-lane road that led out of the Dark City. Every so often, a Heartless would scamper onto the street; with a snap of Larxene's fingers, a bolt of lightning would arc from one of the softly glowing streetlights, cooking the Heartless where it stood. "Tell me you aren't serious," she said, turning from a dissipating Shadow she had just incinerated. "Losing your heart isn't like tripping and falling – he won't be in any condition to flip you off, much less fight. Besides, whoever beat him clearly knew better."

Axel cast a sideways glance at his companion, smirking. "You're just saying that because you were out cold when we found you. Naked, as I recall."

_ZAP._

He got a nasty shock for that. Larxene glared at him, her antenna-like strands of hair standing more on end than usual, as if poised for battle. _"She almost looks threatening,"_ Axel mused, stopping and trying to shake the feeling back into his right side. She held her gaze on him for a moment longer, then turned and continued haughtily down the road. "It's not my fault the Heartless got me in the shower." She stopped, considering her fate for a moment. "Shows you just how far gone Arlene's world was – the things were breeding in the sewers," Larxene continued, referring to her long-deceased Other.

Axel finally regained full freedom of movement and quickstepped to catch up, falling into step beside Larxene. "Point. But much as I'd love to discuss you unclothed, that's not the issue at hand. Where did Sora die again? Shadow at 2:00."

_Crack._ "Thanks. Zexion just came back from Hollow Bastion, but you and I both know there's no telling where Sora's Nobody ended up. He could be anywhere – still in Hollow Bastion, or stowed away on a Heartless gummi ship. Under this road." Axel summoned a portal. "Hold that thought," he said, disappearing. Larxene crossed her arms, rolling her eyes, but allowed a smile to flit across her face. Axel returned five seconds later, shaking his head. "I checked. We're alone out here." His eyes narrowed, fixed on something behind Larxene. "Except for you three!" In the blink of an eye, he had summoned his chakrams and darted past Larxene; in another blink, he had carved up three Shadows that had been watching them. He made a show of loosening up after the encounter, cracking his neck and stretching. Larxene stalked over to him, feigning annoyance. "Those were mine!" she stated, poking Axel's chest with surprising force.

"Until recently, you were the only one with a body count on this mission, and I couldn't just let that slide." Axel gently took Larxene's hand in his, linking arms and continuing forward. She struggled, but not for long or with any seriousness; soon enough the two had relaxed into a companionable silence. Axel broke it six minutes later: "Why are we even still here? The others are probably combing the known universe by now." At this point the end of the Silent Highway was visible, along with the night-blanketed countryside of the World that Never Was. Kingdom Hearts shone as it always did and always would; it was still under construction, but the basic frame of the gigantic heart it would become was in place.

Larxene watched it with a quiet intensity, expressionless except for her bright green eyes, focused and reflecting the massive artificial moon. Axel looked over at her, raising an eyebrow. "Hello. Axel to Savage Nymph. I asked you a question." Larxene shook her head, looking again at her fiery-haired colleague. "Answer mine first." Axel shrugged, gesturing for her to speak.

"How did you get here? You know my story; what's yours?" Larxene's question was accompanied by a look of genuine interest. None of her usual flippancy or insincerity was evident in her eyes, which Axel noted was unusual for her.

There was a moment of silence from the Flurry of Dancing Flames, who took his time coming up with a satisfactory answer. He stretched, folding his hands behind his head as they reached the end of the Silent Highway. _"Not one for delicacy or tact, is she?"_ he noted. He jumped, another electric shock coursing through his body. "You, Number VIII, are _stalling_," Larxene prompted impatiently. "Loaded question? What, did the Heartless catch you in _bed_?" she prodded, with lascivious emphasis on the last word.

Axel shivered from the electricity, stepping back and shaking off the numbness. The night air was chilly as well, he found – odd, he thought, given that his mastery of fire usually kept him toasty. "Is that your answer to everything?" he commented dryly, slicking his newly frazzled hair back into its proper spikes. "Sex and lightning? If I didn't know better, I'd list those as your defining characteristics."

A wicked grin crossed Larxene's features. "Maybe. Maybe not." She flicked her gaze to something over Axel's shoulder, and he glanced behind him to see what it was. Almost as soon as he looked back at Larxene, having seen nothing, something struck him in the chest with hurricane force. Number XII knocked him to the ground, straddling his chest and pinning him where he lay. She bent toward him hungrily, bringing her face within inches of his. "Maybe that's all that's left of Arlene," she whispered conspiratorially. "In absence of anything else…I could show you how…passionate I can be…" Axel, completely off guard for one of the only times he could remember, watched Larxene's face in stunned anticipation. Just when it seemed like things could escalate, Larxene disappeared into a portal, reappearing at his side. "But more than likely, the problem is on your end. You simply don't know me very well."

Axel maintained his bewilderment for about three seconds, and then relaxed into his prone position. "So let's remedy that. We get the mission over with and then I find out whether or not you're as shallow as you appear."

"Ooh, harsh. At least have the decency to talk to me on my level."

"If I felt like bending my knees to see eye to eye with you, I would."

_ZAP._ Axel thrashed around on the cold earth, mostly out of annoyance – he was getting quite used to the sting. "Will you _cut that out!_"

Larxene giggled. "You're almost cute when you're in pain. Most men are, I find."

Axel picked himself up, glaring a hole through his inferior's head. "Extra incentive to find Sora's Nobody. You'll finally have an inferior to use as target practice." Larxene sighed with mock wistfulness.

"Everything's going to change, isn't it?" she said. "Thirteen of us – we'll need a new throne, of course. And if Zexion is to be believed, our days of skulking around in the background are numbered." Larxene sidled closer to Axel, who watched her like a hawk for any sign of electric discharge. "Open warfare. This job just might get interesting." The pair spent the next few minutes in silence, gazing up at the unfinished moon, the stars seeming to shine with opportunity. It was Axel who finally broke the peace.

"Double or nothing says he hits on you."

Larxene raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, smirking. "Now what could possibly make you say that? Besides the obvious," she inquired wryly, gesturing towards herself.

Axel shrugged. "Just a thought. Xemnas would probably prefer you deliver him to us in one piece. _Assuming _it's you that finds him."

The Savage Nymph snaked an arm around the waist of the Flurry of Dancing Flames; after a moment, he returned the gesture. "You know me," Larxene murmured. "I'm not one to disappoint." Axel pulled her closer, and she responded in kind. Although he had no heart, Larxene's presence – another's warmth against the cold, another's breath upon his shoulder, another's fingers tracing patterns on his cloak – brought back a memory of…something. Closeness. Solidarity. Perhaps even comfort. Axel didn't know, but he decided that he wouldn't mind more.

They remained like that for a while longer – minutes, possibly hours. There was no way to tell. Finally they parted ways, disappearing through separate portals to separate worlds on separate searches, Kingdom Hearts looming high in the air and framing their departure.


	3. Captivity

Fittingly, the weather at Disney Castle was foreboding and cloudy in the days following Sora's death. The world's namesake had shuttered for the afternoon in anticipation of the impending rain; servant broomsticks had busied themselves shutting windows and doors, as well as climbing the towers to place lightning rods at their summits. Even before news of the defeat of the light's greatest warrior, the atmosphere in general was grim. It was a perceptible gloom that even Queen Minnie in her spacious, lavishly furnished dining hall could not ignore. The Queen and Daisy Duck were eating an uncomfortable lunch that day, discussing the sudden meteorological shift – "And after _such _a wonderful round of croquet the other day!", Daisy remarked – and speculating on its origin.

"Now, if you ask me, it's nothing more than one of those freak summer storms," Queen Minnie asserted, delicately bisecting a pork chop. "You know how those are – always rolling in overnight and catching you by surprise."

Daisy, who up until then had been absentmindedly toying with her fork, grimaced. "I wish I could agree with you, Minnie. But I've seen a lot of storms in my time, and this one's nothing like any old thunderhead."

Minnie nodded in agreement, picking at her lunch uncertainly. "There's something different…something in the air that I don't think I like."

"You mean besides the imbalance in the elements?"

Minnie shot Daisy a questioning glance, unsure of what she meant. The purple-bedecked duck took a sip of her wine, and made a series of gestures with her free hand. Three symbols appeared, hovering over the table: a sparking yellow lightning bolt, a smoldering crimson flame, and a slowly revolving blue snowflake.

"Disney Castle is one of the more magically inclined worlds in the known universe. What everything boils down to here is a delicate balance between fire, lightning, and cold," Daisy explained, motioning with her glass to the flame, which grew and blazed hotter. "Depending on the season, one prevails over the other two, which both exist in equal measures. Fire is vitality – it represents the lifeblood of this world, and is most prominent in the spring. Lightning," she continued, indicating the bolt, which mushroomed into a self-contained thunderstorm, "prevails in the summer, and governs this world's magic. The more lightning at work in the world, the more powerful magic tends to be – and the greater the chance of it going awry." At Daisy's next gesture, the snowflake spun slower, engulfing the air around it in an increasingly large and intricate pattern of ice crystals. "Cold is the opposite of the other two, symbolizing death and entropy. It's there primarily to keep the other two in check, and wipe the world clean for the arrival of spring. That's why it prevails in winter, and therefore why autumn is the most balanced of all the seasons."

Minnie eyed the elemental display, surprised at how much she still had to learn about the forces governing their world. "So what's the imbalance?" Minnie asked, her food forgotten for the moment.

Daisy put her glass down, leaning back and steepling her fingers. "That's what I'm confused about. Right now it's the middle of July, so logically lightning should be strongest. But I'm also detecting a marked reduction in fire – even less than cold." At this, the lightning storm hovering over the table spread toward the flame, which shrank and threatened to gutter out entirely.

The Queen studied the interplay of elements over the table, clearly troubled. "So there's a lot more magic around, and that's somehow messing with the world's life?"

Daisy nodded in confirmation. "But I don't know what's causing it. Least likely, of course, is that the heart of the world has somehow gone haywire, and tomorrow will be the blizzard of the century. It seems to me that this could only be caused by an outside force." The mage sat up in her chair, returning to her salad. "I'd have to get a little closer to the storm to really study it. If only Donald were here to help me observe…" she said, with a forlorn glance at her husband's usual seat next to her.

Minnie brightened at the mention of her husband's best friend. "Well, I wouldn't worry about that, Daisy! I'm sure he, Goofy, and Sora are doing just fine on their quest! They're the best at what they do. Although I do wish Mickey would come home," Minnie sighed. They ate in silence for the next three minutes or so, each one thinking of their respective soul mates, until they were interrupted by a tapping at one of the windows.

It had started pouring down rain by now; as Minnie rose and crossed the room to answer the tapping, there was a flash of lightning, which was answered almost immediately by the roar of thunder. "Who could possibly be calling today?" she wondered aloud. "And at one of the windows, of all places. It's unlocked, whoever you are!"

No sooner had Minnie confirmed this than the window burst open, the shutters banging against the walls and splattering everything nearby with rain. Minnie cried out in alarm, jumping back from the window; Daisy leaped to her feet, sprinting to help the Queen regain her balance. The wind howled through the open window, inviting buckets of freezing rain inside. Something black had broken into the castle, and soared majestically around the banners hanging from the ceiling. Daisy and Minnie rushed to close the window, all the while looking skyward and trying to guess at the thing's identity. The creature, a massive raven, banked left, diving towards the pair, both of whom twisted in opposite directions to avoid it. It let out a harsh _Caw!_, and released something small and silver from its talons before landing gracefully on the back of King Mickey's ornate chair. The object clattered across the marble floor, skidding to rest at the feet of the cowering royals. After a moment's hesitation, Daisy picked it up.

"What on earth...?" she wondered, examining it carefully. It was a necklace - a sterling silver crown on a chain of the same material. Neither Daisy nor Minnie had ever seen it before; however, the strange delivery was not Minnie's primary concern at this moment. The Queen had gone rigid with indignation, and pointed a threatening finger at the raven, which preened itself and seemed to smirk at her. "I know you!" she shouted. "You're Diablo - Maleficent's pet!" Minnie stalked across the dining hall, stopping within reach of Diablo and meeting its gaze with her own glare. "You aren't welcome here," she stated. Daisy followed her, placing a hand on Minnie's shoulder as she reached her side. "Careful, Your Majesty - wherever it is, its master is never far behind..." A high, bone-chilling laugh confirmed Daisy's fears, echoing throughout the entire room without an apparent source. Minnie and Daisy whirled to find it, freezing when Diablo left its perch and flew to the double doors at the room's entrance. A column of green fire erupted before the doors, casting sinister shadows across the walls and floors and finally coalescing into a familiar enemy: Maleficent.

The sorceress cut an imposing figure; her purple and black robes appeared to drain the light from the room, and in the dim area around her the crystal atop her staff cast an ominous emerald glow. With her horns bringing her to a full six feet two inches in height, she was easily the tallest in the room. The lightning storm, which was steadily increasing in intensity, illuminated her every few seconds as she moved down the central aisle of the dining hall. Diablo landed on her shoulder, eyes on Daisy and Minnie as if daring them to attack now that its master had arrived. It took a monumental effort for the two current inhabitants of the castle to keep their panic from becoming evident in their faces, but they held their ground as their old enemy advanced. In fact, it was Daisy who made the first move. "So you're the outside force," she opened.

Maleficent laughed once more, and her ruby lips curled into a triumphant smile as she came to a halt before the Queen and the mage. "Your majesties! Such an honor to meet you, and to be a guest in your home," she taunted, with a sweep of her arms to indicate their surroundings. With a sudden movement, she clasped both hands on her staff, slamming the end of it into the marble. "Your prison!" she roared, her cry of victory dissolving into another long cackle. The floor cracked with the force of the magic emanating from the staff; Minnie and Daisy rushed Maleficent, but were forced back by a wave of green fire. The hall's windows were thrown open, the storm's wind extinguishing every candle in the room; in another second they were shut. Unseen to those within the hall, black thorns rose from the ground around the castle, criscrossing the walls and sealing all exits. Maleficent's laughter died away in the darkness, and after a few seconds of blindness the lights came back on. All the candles blazed twice as brightly as before, with green fire instead of red. Minnie and Daisy shared a mutual gaze of disquiet as Maleficent towered over them.

Finally, Minnie found the courage to speak. "You certainly weren't invited, Maleficent! What business do you have here?" Her eyes locked with Maleficent's, hungry for an answer.

Maleficent let go of her staff; it stood straight where it was as she withdrew something from her voluminous robes. In her hands she held a shield shaped like the King's royal seal, and a staff fit for someone Daisy's height. "I merely wished to return these," she drawled cruelly, casting them at Minnie's feet. "Their owners have no more need for them." Almost immediately, Daisy cried out in anguish. "That staff...that's Donald's!" She snatched it off the ground, pointing it menacingly at Maleficent. "What did you do to Donald!?" she shrieked, on the verge of tears. Minnie sank to her knees, picking up the shield; it trembled in her hands. "Where's Goofy?" she asked, her voice quivering with barely-controlled rage. She stood, brandishing the shield at Daisy's side. "Where's Mickey?"

Maleficent lazily tapped her fingers against her staff as she answered. "That necklace Diablo gave you? It belonged to the Keyblade wielder who was looking for your king. Your friends suffered the same fate as he: consumed by the darkness I command!" Diablo cawed in agreement, taking wing and flying up to roost in the rafters.

Daisy could take no more. With a scream of "You heartless _witch_!" she leaped, swinging her husband's staff at Maleficent with strength fueled by sorrow and hatred. Maleficent rolled her eyes, summoning a force field which Daisy smacked into with an audible _WHACK_. The duck fell to the ground, and Minnie rushed over to help her up. "Daisy, stop it! You don't know what she's capable of!" But Daisy shrugged off the Queen's helping hand, picking herself up as if nothing had happened. "She's capable of killing Donald! _FIRAGA!_" A massive fireball shot from the staff, but was deflected effortlessly by Maleficent's own weapon. "Do what you like," Maleficent declared, sidestepping another charge and striking Daisy to the ground. "It won't change the fact that he's gone! They're all gone, and you've lost!"

Daisy rose once more, leaning on Donald's staff for support. "You're wrong! The King will hear of this, and he'll be back!" Minnie raised Goofy's shield to defend herself, and agreed. "My husband's fought worse than you!" She stepped forth, daring Maleficent to attack her.

Maleficent shook her head, her smile ripening to a wicked grin. "Donald, Goofy, and their Keyblader friend are no more; yesterday the forces of light suffered the ultimate defeat, at the hands of my champion!" With a gesture, a portal of darkness manifested in the castle floor. "The light shines weaker with their demise, and thus I bring the war home." Heartless climbed out of the portal by the hundreds; first Shadows, then Soldiers, then innumerable and unnameable legions of corruption. They swarmed across the room, throwing wide the doors and scampering throughout the castle. The Queen and the duchess watched in shock; the Heartless had never been able to breach Disney Castle's defenses in the past, and certainly not in these numbers. Both contemplated fighting, but a shared glance communicated what they both knew: there were too many to take on by themselves. Maleficent left them finally, following her army into the hallway. She turned to deliver one last gloating address. "Oh, but I'll be merciful. I'll hold my Heartless off from the heart of your world, and you'll live to bear witness to my conquest of _all the rest!_" With a final delighted cackle, she strolled leisurely towards the throne room. The doors slammed shut, and a force field of flickering green flames spread across it. There was no escape for the remnants of King Mickey's court.

Daisy let her arm fall, clutching the staff like it was the last thing in the world that could keep her alive. Minnie turned, and lay the shield on a nearby table. They slowly made their way across the hall, empty now except for them and Diablo, the latter of which remained on guard in the rafters. The mouse and the duck embraced, each one the other's last comfort in a world that suddenly appeared to be at an end.

* * *

I know, I know, this chapter is boring. I'm suffering from myriad distractions lately, academic and otherwise, but things should get better when we get back to Organization XIII. I find them a lot easier to write, as they're deeper than Maleficent's "I WILL RULE ALL BAHAHAHA" personality. I tried.

Love and thanks to all the readers,

Zellarius Burvenia


	4. Research and Development

At this point, the story shall pause for a brief overview of Nobody physiology.

Greater Nobodies possess numerous physical gifts, the best known of which is the ability of fast healing. They draw upon the nothingness to mend everything from papercuts to broken bones, within a certain capacity of inherent power, far more quickly than mortals are able. The most serious wounds, such as loss of a limb, may be healed within a week, and it is only the most grievous injuries that may permanently scar a greater Nobody.

Similarly, the various systems that maintain a greater Nobody's well-being perform with greater efficiency. Senses and reflexes are double or even triple the strength of mortals', metabolism is overhauled entirely so eating and drinking replenishes power and healing potential, and in general everything operates at a superior level.

Fortunately for Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion, this applies to a greater Nobody's liver, and thus their alcohol tolerance.

* * *

_**6:47 PM**_

_**The Castle that Never Was**_

_**The Calm before the Storm (Xaldin's room)**_

Xaldin put down Axel's mission report with a satisfied nod. With the Superior away on business and Xigbar away on break, the Whirlwind Lancer had been left in charge. "All seems to be in order," he concluded. "Again, you found nothing in Agrabah?"

"Mm-hm." Axel leaned back in the recliner opposite Xaldin's, his mind clearly elsewhere. A small flame blazed above his right index finger; with each snap of his fingers, it disappeared and reappeared, like an organic lighter. "There were heartless beings and sentient beings, but none that were both. What have-"

"Feet off my coffee table."

Axel rolled his eyes, complying and lacing his fingers together behind his head. "As I was saying. What have we narrowed it down to? Where's Sora's Nobody?"

Xaldin considered this, calculating under his breath. "Four weeks of three-day rotating searches…twelve members…By my count, we'll have explored almost every world within ten light-years, given our remoteness. With that in mind, the Superior has asked me to assemble a task force of Dragoons by Saturday for our invasion of Twilight Town. It's the closest one we haven't searched, as we were planning on conquering it anyway."

A grin from Axel. "The gloves are off, then. I knew this gig had perks." Axel stood, stretching. "Mmm. Well, this was productive. Think I'll pop into R&D now that I'm done for the day."

Xaldin cast him a skeptical glance. "And by R&D you mean numbers IV, V and VI with a case of vodka."

Axel shrugged. "Is there any other kind?"

"Only those based on reason and sobriety," deadpanned Xaldin, accepting a glass of water from a serving Dusk that had just arrived.

"Thank the darkness we haven't had to resort to that. Cheers!"

* * *

_**6:52 PM**_

_**The Castle that Never Was**_

_**The High Laboratory (Vexen's room)**_

When Axel stepped out of his portal, his day nearly ended right then and there. A crescent wrench spun through the air, directly at his face, and only his superhuman reflexes saved him from a concussion. Axel ducked, and the wrench sailed through the portal. Half a second later, the portal fired back an enraged scream and a lance. The lance streaked across the room, ripping a clipboard from Vexen's hands and pinning it to the opposite wall. Vexen shrieked, diving for cover. Axel stood, closing the portal and cutting off a stream of curses from the other side. He surveyed the High Laboratory, amused at the scene of disarray that greeted him.

What he was witnessing was one of Numbers IV, V and VI's infamous Brilliance Binges. Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion, the more scientifically inclined of the core members, had come up with the idea, originally as a joke. During a night of celebration for Demyx's induction into the Organization, they had dared each other to draw up plans for a new gummi ship while viciously intoxicated. When they discovered the next morning that, after some sober refining, each design was fairly brilliant, a tradition was born. From that day forward, whenever their next invention would be of particular importance to the Organization, numbers IV through VI took it upon themselves to get roaring drunk first. Logic, restraint, and sobriety had their place, but sometimes the best ideas were the ones that, while sober, seemed too crazy to work.

Today promised something possibly world-shattering, not that Axel could tell it at first glance. Schematics, half-formed and then abandoned, littered the floor, the sea of paper dotted with empty bottles. Machinery and spare parts were scattered here and there. In the center of the room, a growing tower of drunken genius was being added to from these seemingly unrelated components.

Zexion stumbled out from behind it, wearing an expression of annoyance tempered with confusion. "Damn it, Lexaeus! What did I tell you about throwing-" He stopped, catching sight of Axel and swaying slightly. "Oh, it's you. To what do we owe this arg…arriv…screw it, this visit?" Without waiting for an answer, the completely plastered Cloaked Schemer about-faced. "_VEXEN!_" he yelled. "Come on out, it's safe!"

At the sound of Zexion's voice, Vexen crawled out from under a nearby desk, casting suspicious glances here and there in case there were more lances to dodge. Satisfied that there were none, he got to his feet, only to bang his head on the desk on the way up. "_KINGDOM HEARTS!_ Who put that there?!?" Axel stopped laughing just in time for Vexen to make his inebriated way over to the far wall. Vexen stumbled just before he reached the wall, bracing himself against it and gripping Xaldin's still-stuck lance.

"Well, well well. Well," Vexen opened, ripping the lance from the wall with more force than seemed necessary. The weapon dissolved into darkness as the Chilly Academic bent to retrieve his clipboard. "The Blurry of…Prancing Shames, yeah…sees fit to visit. I...don't remember calling an open house."

"And you won't have one," Axel assured, raising his hands in an offering of peace. "Luxord's running a game tonight and whoever brings booze gets extra chips. I'm told you're the one to ask about that sort of thing." Axel looked his superior up and down, concluding that his assessment was correct. Vexen's hair was in curlers for some reason – he had improvised with bronze rods from storage. His cloak was partially unzipped, revealing a crude necklace of nuts, bolts, and bottle caps. As if to explain his condition, an empty bottle rolled out from beneath his former hiding place.

Vexen rolled his eyes, turning on his heel and joining Zexion at a worktable. "A_HA_. Once again profiling rears its ugly head (pass me the protractor, Number VI). Word about our creative process gets out…suddenly _I'M _the…" Vexen looked up from his calculations, staring off into space and sighing.

"_LIQUOR QUARTERMASTER!!!"_ bellowed Lexaeus. The Organization's Number V had somehow climbed halfway up the tower in the center of the room, and now leaped from his elevated position to join the conversation. Lexaeus landed with room-shaking force. Axel instinctively leaped back to avoid being hit; Zexion was unmoved. Vexen slammed a fist on the table in triumph. "Liquor quartermaster! Poetic as the day is long!"

"Should be your title," Zexion quipped.

"Can I or can I not get some drinks?!?" Axel barked, steering the conversation back to its original course. "And what in the _worlds_ are you building?"

Lexaeus, picking himself up from his return to ground level, immediately lit up – whether from excitement or from the vodka, Axel couldn't tell. "_So _kind of you to ask. This…is nothing." Axel raised an eyebrow, quickly running out of patience. "Well, so far it is," Zexion amended. Numbers V and VI launched into a rapid-fire, drunken explanation of the tower's purpose – such as it was.

"Well, it started out as a satellite hacker-"

"No, no, no, no, no – death ray."

"Whatever. We…oh, Kingdom Hearts, what did we do?"

"Scrapped the first few plans but just kept adding to it-"

"With whatever we could find-"

"But we know what it does."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not!"

"_DO TOO, YOU NONEXISTENT SON OF A SHADOW!"_

"_AN INSULT! I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!"_

"_**SILENCE!!!**_" There was a sound of breaking glass; Lexaeus and Zexion both whirled to see Vexen, standing atop his desk, the jagged neck of a bottle in his right hand. "It's all fun and games until glass breaks. Then it's dangerous and we should really get back to being productive before the alcohol wears off, right now, _that means both of you!_"

Everyone stood (or attempted to stand) in shock, not quite knowing how to fill the sudden silence that Vexen's outburst caused. Axel coughed. "So, about the drinks-"

Zexion smirked, winking at Lexaeus. "The resident fire-wielding punk  
One evening thought he would get drunk.  
But I've already mastered  
The way to get plastered  
Compared to me, Axel's a monk!"

Axel's jaw dropped, the redhead unable to comprehend what had just happened. Limericks? In the Organization? Clearly, the alcohol was taking its toll. _"Though Zexion is quite the poet, I'll admit."_

Vexen's raised a fist in the direction of his colleagues. "No, no, no! No more rhyming! We're doing this for _science_!"

Lexaeus paid the Chilly Academic no attention; taking Zexion's cue, he grabbed a bottle, took a swig and burst into song at once.

"Three heartless old Nobody jerks  
With myriad baffling quirks  
Used intoxication  
For great motivation  
To finally build something that works!"

Axel's annoyance dissolved into hysterics; at this point, he was doubled over laughing. He was quite the opposite of Vexen, who summoned his shield and was now quivering with fury. "Waste more of our precious time, I _dare _you!" Lexaeus was only emboldened by this challenge. The completely besotted scientist climbed up on a chair, teetering precariously and attempting to strike an operatic pose. As Zexion wisely got out of Vexen's way, Lexaeus took a deep breath, broke into a grin, and roared at the top of his lungs:

"THERE WAS A NOBODY CALLED VEXEN  
WHO COULDN'T QUITE MASTER THE SEXIN'!  
FOR TRY AS HE MIGHT  
THROUGH ALL THE DAMNED NIGHT  
HE COULDN'T MAINTAIN AN-"

A blizzard suddenly whipped up around Lexaeus, abruptly drowning out the rest of the song. It raged for a full ten seconds before settling into a gentle snowfall throughout the room. Lexaeus was encased in a block of ice, still in his operatic pose, his bottle frozen halfway to the ground after he had dropped it. Zexion, stunned, quickly returned to his work. Axel stuffed a fist in his mouth to stifle his laughter, and Vexen hopped off the desk. As snow placidly accumulated on the Silent Hero's prison, Vexen stalked over to the frozen Nobody, picking up a hammer on his way. Using a screwdriver as a makeshift chisel, he began to carve clumsily formed letters into the ice. "I keep the alcohol in the freezer on the left," he muttered. "Take anything…but not wine. Anything but that. No wine for you. None. Go. _Now_."

"You're a saint, Vexen!" Axel sang, crossing to the freezer on his left and opening it. Shelves upon shelves of limbs and organs, human and otherwise, greeted him.

"_MY_ left!" called Vexen, halfway through carving "I LIKE MEN."


	5. Table Talk

_**7:00 PM**_

_**The World that Never Was**_

_**Dark City streets**_

After an amusing stop in the High Laboratory that, toward the end, proved rather disquieting, Axel finally arrived at his destination, approximately six miles from the Castle. He stood in a street labeled Purgatory Way, which gave him cause to ponder Xemnas's state of mind upon creating this world. _"Either it's a side effect of not having a heart, or he's always like that. Maybe both."_ Putting it out of his mind for the moment, Axel shouldered the case of beer Vexen had given him, crossed to a sidewalk and descended the stairs into the Dark City subways.

The subways were, if possible, even more desolate and gloomy than the surface. Like any major urban area, they honeycombed the earth below the buildings, shortcuts for any travelers for whom the overworld was too crowded. What distinguished the Dark City subways from their more conventional kin was their lack of passengers. Oddly, a single train made the rounds of the tunnels, but the sheer size of the cavernous underground (and the ability of most of the city's denizens to teleport) made riding it an inefficient mode of transportation at best and an unaffordable waste of time at worst. Traversing the otherwise empty tunnels, which possessed neither artificial nor natural light, amounted to ringing a dinner bell for the legions of Heartless that lived down there.

Axel's intent was not to travel. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he jumped down onto the empty tracks and turned around to face the wall. A door, made of the same metal as the rest of the train station and set directly into the wall, stared unassumingly back. Muted voices could be heard on the other side. Axel knocked eight times; the voices stopped, there was a scraping sound, and footsteps approached. A panel on the door slid back, revealing a familiar pair of piercing blue eyes.

"Password," said the eyes' owner in a distinctly British drawl.

"'Slowroll.'"

The panel slid shut; after about 30 seconds of the sounds of deadbolts sliding back, the door opened. Luxord held it open, gesturing for Axel to enter. "Welcome to the Black Hole."

The Black Hole was an underground casino, in both senses of the word. Its location off of the subway tunnels was no fault of eccentric architecture on Luxord's part; rather, its secrecy arose from necessity. About a year ago, before Larxene had joined the Organization, Luxord had run what had simply come to be known as "The Game." This had been a poker tournament of epic skill and scale; after two straight days of play, half of the Organization's funds were at stake. Unfortunately, the Game coincided with Saïx's monthly inventory of the Intangible Treasury. Xemnas had been notified of the millions of unaccounted-for munny, and it wasn't long before he discovered the reason. From that day forward, all withdrawals from the Treasury were to be submitted to Saïx first, and gambling had been banned from the Castle that Never Was. The solution: take the games elsewhere. Knowledge of where was by invitation only.

The Black Hole was furnished in red and black tile, forming a wall-to-wall pattern of hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades. A heart-shaped obsidian table, covered in black felt with a red X across it, dominated the center of the room. Xigbar was seated here, impatiently tapping his fingers on the table's surface as his chips stacked, sorted, and separated on their own. Demyx was across from him, plucking out a tune on his sitar as he tilted his chair back. Marluxia occupied the lower left side of the heart, amusing himself by withering a rose and restoring it to life, over and over again. _"I swear, some of us get weirder every day,"_ Axel mused, seating himself at the bottom of the table next to the sixth player.

Larxene reached across him, accidentally-on-purpose brushing her hand against his as she snatched a beer from the case.

"Drinks! Oh, and Axel, too, I suppose," she sniped playfully. Axel took this in stride, passing bottles around the table. Marluxia and Demyx gratefully accepted theirs, but before Axel could offer one to Xigbar a bottle levitated out of the case and shot across the table as if from a cannon. Xigbar caught it expertly, popping the cap and taking a sip. "Thanks, pyro!" "_Showoff,_" thought Axel, handing a bottle to a passing Luxord before taking one for himself. "So," he began, sitting at the bottom edge of the table, "am I early? Late? Luxord?" he prompted. Luxord didn't meet his eyes. "You talk to me like I'm the expert on that sort of thing."

"You are."

"Quite," Luxord confirmed, running a hand across his side of the table. Cards appeared where he had touched the felt, and he gathered these into a deck and began shuffling. "The game is, always has been, and eternally shall be hold 'em poker. 1500 munny to start, in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200..." As he spoke, white, red, blue, green, and violet chips floated over to Axel's place, quietly clicking as they landed in neat stacks. "...With ten percent extra for Number VIII's generosity." Two chips, one blue and one green, were added to Axel's stack.

Having gathered the cards into a full deck, Luxord began dealing hands to the assembled Nobodies. Reactions varied from nonchalant glances at the cards, to a _very _noticeable eyebrow raise from Demyx, to a scoff of disgust from Xigbar. "Luxord, how many times do I have to tell you? _Always shuffle the cards, _even on the first hand." Luxord ignored him, motioning for Demyx and Larxene to ante.

"I don't _care _if they're random when you summon 'em. _Shuffle the cards,_" Xigbar continued, fingering two of his white chips.

Luxord rolled his eyes. "Demyx, the round of betting starts with you."

"Check."

Larxene checked as well, followed by Axel and Marluxia; before Xigbar could complain again Luxord fixed the Freeshooter with a penetrating gaze. "_If _you are finished expressing your dissatisfaction, I suggest you act on it and fold. Unless you'd rather stay in and announce to the world that you're bluffing rather openly." Xigbar tossed in two chips, flashing Luxord a smirk. "Cool it with the psychobabble! You know I do this every time." Luxord contributed two chips of his own, and the pot was balanced. "Six players, a hundred and twenty munny," announced Luxord. "Here's the flop…"

Luxord discarded a card and flipped three more: a king of diamonds, a ten of clubs, and a ten of hearts. The tens displayed portraits of Luxord in different poses; only the king's design was confined to an elaborately drawn diamond. The second round of betting commenced; Marluxia tossed his cards in the discard pile, sighing.

"I remember when the queen was blank too," Demyx commented. "Bet – thirty munny. That was before Larxene came along, wasn't it?"

Axel sighed with mock wistfulness. "Yep. Man, those were the days, am I right?" Larxene smiled plaintively. "Don't make me zap you next time you drink. Call."

Axel took another peek at his cards. The ace of spades was a picture of Xemnas on his throne, looking forbidding as usual; the queen of diamonds showed Larxene lounging on a couch with a fistful of knives, gazing seductively back. Axel's eyes flicked back to Luxord. "Raise – fifty munny." Xigbar smiled ruefully, reclining in his chair as his cards slid across the table to the discard pile. Luxord folded, and said "Demyx and Larxene, twenty each to play." Both complied. "Two hundred and seventy munny total. The turn card: a jack of clubs." Marluxia's portrait smiled coldly up from this card, relaxing in an armchair woven from flowering vines.

As the remaining players made their bets, a thought came to Xigbar. "Say, Number VIII – I didn't get a chance to stop by Vexen's. Mind tellin' me what he's up to?"

"What's to tell?" Axel said, calling Larxene's ambitious fifty-munny bet. "Four through six are all drunk and working on something. Looked to me like a tower or a cannon of some kind – they retracted the ceiling when I left, so they're nowhere near finished."

"Well, it's got to be a cannon," Demyx offered. "If they're building something for the war, it's probably a superweapon of some type. All superweapons are cannons, right?" Marluxia snorted, laying his rose aside. "'All superweapons are cannons.' It's that kind of assumption that nearly got you killed in Prydain."

"Hey! Have you _ever_ seen any work of science fiction? And for your _information_, I escaped unharmed, mission accomplished," Demyx asserted haughtily.

"After being swarmed by the legions of the undead and running like a scared puppy. The Horned King must still be giggling about it." Marluxia's rose had begun to flourish, spreading thorny stems across his side of the table. "I know _I _still am."

"So he skimmed his mission brief. We've all done that," Xigbar quipped. "Whoa, hot first hand, eh?" The river card had been dealt: a nine of hearts. Demyx broke into a smug smile that reflected his expression on the card. "Seventy."

Larxene called, tossing in two whites and a blue. "If you wanted to get rid of your chips, Demyx, you could just let us split them," she offered, beaming. Demyx sat back in a huff, muttering something about "someday…" Axel threw in seventy as well. "Aww, lay off the kid. He's not the only one who'll be down a few."

Luxord piled up the chips. "Six hundred and ten munny in all, you shameless spendthrifts. Demyx, justify your cavalier betting." Demyx hesitated, then flipped over a pair of nines. "Pocket nines. That's three of a kind. Beat _that._"

Larxene cracked her knuckles. "Don't mind if I do…with a straight!" She held a queen and the remaining nine. "Nine through king. Axel?" Axel looked at his cards, then at Larxene's, and burst out laughing. "Ooh, _so _sorry. Ten through ace." Even Demyx, who had slumped sullenly back in his seat, couldn't help but chuckle.

"A better straight," Luxord confirmed. "First hand of the night goes to Axel." Axel raked in his chips, mock bowing to the rest of the table. "You're all too kind," he taunted. He raised his beer to his lips; as soon as he set it down, it exploded. The rest of the table ducked, then came up laughing at the sight of Axel covered in beer and broken glass. Tiny arcs of electricity on his soaked cloak revealed the culprit: a dangerously grinning Larxene.

"I warned you," she remarked as Luxord dealt the second hand.


	6. Preparations

A common misconception about Twilight Town is that its name is derived from the prevailing weather conditions thereat. While the sun does seem to linger in the air when it sets, the resulting length of twilight relative to other worlds is not the original reason. Rather, the world was named for its location just inside the borders of the known universe, between light and darkness, existence and nonexistence. On one side: space – the stars, the worlds, and the nigh-infinite vista between them. On the other: nothing. Emptiness. Half a light-year beyond the brink of everything, the World that Never Was stands like a forbidding island in a sea not meant for those who possess hearts.

It was currently Axel's turn to cross this sea; in the days preceding the Nobodies' invasion of Twilight Town, he had been chosen to scope out any potential threats, due to his familiarity with the world.

"_I suppose there's a price to pay for spending half my missions here up on the clock tower," _he conceded, idly tossing a chakram up and down in a storage room halfway up the town's distinctive landmark. The thing about landmarks, Axel had realized, was that they were far more fascinating to outsiders and tourists than to the people who lived around them. To Twilight Town's citizens, the clock tower was indeed a marvelous piece of architecture. But it was a marvelous piece of architecture that they lived with and saw each day, and thus they were perfectly content to pass it by. This suited Axel just fine, as most days he had the tower to himself.

On recent missions Axel had verified a far lower Heartless presence than normal, despite the Organization's strict population controls on one of the more infested civilized worlds. _"Which points to a third party," _Axel decided.

It was a concerning assessment. The most powerful resident of Twilight Town was the archmage Yen Sid, former master of King Mickey. _"But he took a vow of neutrality after the last Keyblade War," _continued Axel. _"Considering he's probably the only one we know of who'd take any action, it means someone else is at work here."_

The immediate conclusion had been the presence of Sora's Nobody. That was why Axel had been tapped to search Twilight Town block-by-block for him – he specialized in search-and-subdue operations.

"_Can't have a 'subdue' without a successful 'search,' though." _Axel was almost certain that he had combed every inch of the town and the underground, figuring that the Nobody would head for some familiar sign of civilization. There had been no sign of him, however, and Axel had taken to keeping watch from the tower. _"Last day I do this. Then I phone it in and find him during the invasion."_

* * *

_**The World That Never Was  
****The same day**_

Nine members of the Organization occupied the twelve towering thrones of Where Nothing Gathers, and a tenth figure sat demurely in an armchair where a thirteenth would eventually stand. This was Naminé, diligently recording the minutes of the current meeting.

12:50: Arrival of Xemnas.

12:52: Arrival of Saïx and Xigbar.

12:53: Arrival of Xaldin, Marluxia, Lexaeus, Zexion, and Luxord.

12:59: Arrival of Demyx.

1:00: The meeting begins at the appointed time.

"Thank you for your time," Xemnas began. "Where is Number IV? His presence was specifically requested as the focus of this meeting."

"Still in the High Laboratory, Superior," answered Lexaeus. "He told me he was putting the finishing touches on his presentation and couldn't be bothered until around 1:15." In reality Vexen had finished last night instead of sleeping. At the moment he was downing his tenth glass of water since noon in an attempt to chase away the last of the hangover from his weeklong bender. Lexaeus and Zexion had assisted him previously, but after a few days the Chilly Academic had insisted on solitude.

"And what of Numbers VIII and XII?" Xemnas demanded.

"As far as I know," Saïx answered, "Axel is still in Twilight Town. His mission's progress is questionable at best, and as for Larxene-"

"Somebody call my name?" This was Larxene, fresh out of a portal from halfway across the universe. A symphony of bells tolled the hour from a massive cathedral behind her, which disappeared with the portal. Saïx glared at her, as if he had wanted to denounce her as well; Marluxia's lips twitched in a half-smile. Larxene glanced from person to person, studying each one in turn and finally flashing an insincere grin. "Why, I do believe two of us are missing. What's up?"

"Vexen and Axel are working," Zexion explained, in a tone that betrayed zero interest. "One of them is needed for this meeting to actually go somewhere," he noted, reflecting the group's general restlessness. Below, Naminé had grown bored and started drawing a self-portrait with a tiny hand mirror.

Larxene twisted in her throne, swinging her legs up over an arm and leaning back across the other. "I have it on good authority that Axel has searched Twilight Town top to bottom," she stated nonchalantly, summoning a knife and filing her nails. Marluxia scoffed. "Because Twilight Town isn't the only thing he's searched top to bottom, I'd wager," he remarked. Larxene winked at him. "Maybe. Maybe not. I have my sources," she deflected. "But I'm sure there's more important things to discuss than my sex life, am I right?" Her eyes flicked to the ground, and she flung a knife at the object of her interest. "That's your cue to pay attention, little lady!" she yelled down. Several stories below, Naminé recovered from her unwelcome shock and went back to the minutes. An already vanishing knife had ripped the mirror from her hand and pinned it to the arm of her chair. The young Nobody cast a furtive, fearful glance up at the other female, and then quickly returned to her work.

1:03: Arrival of Larxene.

1:05: Discussions of the whereabouts of Axel end abruptly as the meeting is put back on track.

"Thank you, Larxene," Xemnas said, taking control once more. One of the perks of this job, he found, was that a lot of digressions seemed to resolve themselves. Loss of one's heart and emotions added a certain sense of focus and maturity – which, of course, varied depending on how closely one clung to the façade of feeling. "Until Vexen arrives, I'd like to take this time to remind you all of the reason for today's meeting." Demyx looked relieved, but almost immediately abandoned his expression at the Superior's diamond-hard glare. "I expect certain of our number have forgotten," he continued, giving voice to his gaze.

"As all of you should know, Numbers IV, V, and VI have been working for the past week on a project of great significance to the Organization. Vexen's presentation will detail what, exactly, this project is." Xemnas paused for breath. "Which brings me to another point. Xigbar, I expect construction on the armada is progressing as expected?" The Freeshooter nodded, flashing Xemnas a smile. "The shipyards down in the factory district are busier than ever, boss. Gotta hand it to ya – at first I didn't think the lesser Nobodies could use tools."

He was correct – Something From Nothing, the industrial sector of the Dark City, employed over fifty thousand Nobodies designed to build the carriers, battleships, dreadnaughts, and fighters (living and otherwise) for the armed forces under the Organization's command. Thus far it had not been used; the warships were perpetually engaged in war games and training exercises, and occasionally shot down any wayward travelers who happened to find themselves in the wrong sector of the universe. Now that the Organization was on the move, the Nobody military would finally see action. The last ships built would be the thirteen flagships, constructed to the most exact of specifications after flaws had been spotted and processed out of all preceding projects. Perfection was the watchword for the Silver Armada.

"So we've got the Void Walker almost done – it's the biggest, of course," Xigbar continued. "The thirteenth flagship is mothballed right now – just the generic chassis until Sora's Nobody personalizes it. Any bets on his name, by the way?" Luxord opened his mouth to answer, but stayed silent, cocking his head as if listening for something. "Vexen is on his way," he announced.

The sound of his voice had barely died when it was overtaken by the sound of a portal opening. Vexen stepped out of a corridor of darkness atop his throne, the lowest in the room. He stumbled slightly as the portal closed behind him, but managed to seat himself without falling from his throne in exhaustion. "I apologize, Superior, for my lateness. The error was mine and mine alone." Xemnas raised an eyebrow, a stock inquisitive expression devoid of emotional investment. "And your presentation?" he prompted. "What have you been working on this past week, and why should I fund it?"

Vexen shook his head sharply, putting a hand to his temple and withdrawing something from his cloak. "Ah. Yes – a moment while I find it…" He pulled a sky-blue cube from a hidden pocket, displaying it for the rest of the room to see. Xemnas's only movement was the diversion of his gaze from Vexen's face to the cube. Xigbar and Xaldin leaned forward to see; Lexaeus nodded for Vexen to continue; Zexion crossed his left leg over his right, looking impatient. Saïx was still as usual; Demyx craned his neck to watch; Luxord smiled at this new entertainment. Marluxia tapped his fingers against the arm of his throne, hating the suspense; Larxene turned her attention away from her nails, mildly intrigued. Even Naminé stood on her chair to get a good look.

With a flourish and a prideful half-smile, Vexen shook off the last of his exhaustion and extended his arm, letting the cube float from his hand. The small block of ice drifted into the center of the room, where it hung for a moment. It shivered, and then exploded into life. A spike of ice shot from the bottom, striking the ground and shaking the foundations of Where Nothing Gathers. The blue column remained in place as ice spread out from it in perfect lines, splitting the central space into sixths. The Organization looked on in amazement, delight, and curiosity as ice filled in the empty spaces and began to build up higher. A skeleton of ice rose up in the center of the room, fleshed out quickly by innumerable frozen corridors, machinery, and finally a great outer hull that came within mere feet of the thrones. The tower of ice rose beyond even Xemnas's lofty seat, finally apexing thirty feet above it. When the ice finally stopped moving, a massive cannon made entirely of ice dominated Where Nothing Gathers.

Vexen looked around for a moment, waiting for questions; when none came, he broke the silence himself. "As you all might imagine, going public will be quite an undertaking for an organization so steeped in secrecy as ours. Many, driven to panic and delusions of adequacy, will seek to oppose us. This is what the Silver Armada is for – both a deterrent and a counter to such behavior." Xigbar and Xaldin, the architects of the armed forces, smiled. "No argument there," Xigbar agreed. "And this is meant to serve a similar function?" Xaldin asked, gesturing toward the cannon.

Vexen grinned. "I thought you'd never ask." Something resembling excitement crept into his voice. "I call it the ANTI-Cannon. The name stands for Amplification of Nothingness for Tactical Impact."

"So what does it do?" Demyx broke in. A withering glare from Vexen made him shrink back in his throne and instantly regret interrupting.

"Technically, I already explained it with the acronym," Vexen stated frostily, "but I'll lay it out in more specific terms." Vexen indicated a section of the cannon, and the whole thing collapsed and reformed into a gigantic version of the area of interest.

"This part of the cannon contains the firing chamber. To activate the ANTI-Cannon, one needs to be here. How exactly activation works I'll detail when it's actually completed, but in the meantime I think you'll enjoy learning what I intend to use it for. Lexaeus? Zexion?" On cue, the ice folded back into its supercompressed cube, and as Vexen pocketed it Lexaeus banged a fist on the arm of his throne, summoning a ball of earth from the nothingness in the center of the room. It spun around a single point, forming a sphere that slowly revolved, hovering at eye level with Lexaeus. Zexion suddenly sat up straighter in his chair, focusing intently on the sphere. A scale model of Vexen's cannon blurred into existence next to him, aiming at the sphere.

"The sphere represents a scale model of a world," Lexaeus explained. "The ANTI-Cannon is meant for use against entire worlds, for large-scale offense and intimidation."

"For your consideration," Zexion said. With this, the illusion of the cannon shot a devastating jet of fire at the mock planet, blasting an enormous chunk out of it and turning the rest to charred glass. Lexaeus dismissed the ruined ball of earth, summoning another. Again, the cannon fired, this time shooting a crackling bolt of lightning through the earth and ripping a ragged hole through it. Another sphere; it was torn asunder by a huge tornado. Another sphere; this was struck with pure energy and sucked into a black hole. Another sphere; a torrent of water blew it apart and flooded the remaining surface. The demonstration finished, Lexaeus and Zexion returned their parts of the presentation to nothingness.

The rest of the Organization looked on greedily, excitedly, and in one case fearfully, before bursting into applause. Even Xemnas expressed his approval with the faintest facsimile of a smile.

Vexen beamed, enjoying the adulation. "The ANTI-Cannon," he began, "was designed to ruin worlds. With it in our possession, we shall walk the universe as _gods_ – able to absolve or condemn entire populations on a whim! Think of it – whole worlds, cracked open to offer their hearts to us!" He was half out of his throne by this point, and he coughed, composing himself and turning to Xemnas. "There's currently a section of what will be the barrel in the High Laboratory. I've already retracted the roof to make room for it, and if we continue working on it I fear for the integrity of the castle floors. With your permission, Superior, I would like to move it to the factory district and complete construction there."

Xemnas nodded. "Permission granted," he said, and here he added a deliberate inflection of impressments to his voice. "Once again, Vexen, you have outdone yourself. You shall have as much manpower and resources as necessary to complete this superweapon."

With this, the meeting drew to a close. Xemnas addressed the Organization one last time: "At the end of this week, we are scheduled to invade Twilight Town. After approximately two months, the entire Silver Armada will be in service. Xaldin, you shall lead the attack on Saturday, accompanied by Lexaeus, Axel, Marluxia, and Larxene. Begin in the underground; Xigbar will bring a vanguard of Snipers to consolidate our position when our forces seize the clock tower." The Superior stood, finished for the afternoon. "That will be all for today. Meetings are scheduled daily at precisely 1:00 through Friday. I expect all of you to be prepared well in advance." With that, Xemnas portaled off to somewhere unknowable, and the meeting was over. The rest of the Organization disappeared one by one, save for one forgotten figure far below, curled silently in her armchair.

Naminé shuddered at what she had just seen. _"So many people are going to die," _she thought. _"All I can do is watch, and write it down."_ Tears took over where further words failed her.

* * *

Larxene stepped out into an alley somewhere in Twilight Town. She took a moment to adjust to the sunlight, and then put up her hood as she navigated the back streets.

"_Let's see. Clock tower is…that way!" _she deduced, peeking out across the train station plaza. The tower stood proudly in the distance, its two giant bells silhouetted against the afternoon sun. Larxene opened another portal in the nearby wall, and none of the crowd beyond the alley even turned their heads to see.

Meanwhile at the tower, Axel was growing increasingly bored. The most interesting thing he'd seen all day was a street parade announcing a local's entry in the upcoming Struggle tournament. Whoever Setzer Gabbiani was, Axel figured he was a fighter of some skill. _"That or a blowhard of some conceit. At least I got out of a meeting…" _At that moment Axel detected a disturbance in the surrounding area. _"Someone's coming – Hopefully to relieve me of this."_ He had barely finished his thought when a portal opened to his left. A cloaked figure stepped out, waving hello. "Long day?" asked Larxene, removing her hood.

Axel shrugged. "No longer than usual. What'd I miss?"

Larxene whistled. "Ooh, this is going to be educational. Well…" she answered, mock-pensively, crossing to the window and looking out. "Remember how we didn't see Vexen for a week?"

"Oh boy." The redhead grinned, immediately interested. "He had the Dusks bring his food up to him. What was he doing up there, anyway?" Axel asked, leaning back on a crate. Larxene chuckled humorlessly, scanning the streets of Twilight Town as she answered. "Well, he finally lost it and built a giant gun."

Axel actually laughed at this. "He doesn't half-ass anything, does he? Must've watched a little too much Star Wars somewhere along the line, no?"

"Perhaps." Larxene wasn't paying attention. "I'm curious, Axel. How do you feel about all this?" Axel raised a crimson eyebrow. "That a trick question?" he deadpanned.

"You know what I mean!" Larxene retorted, turning back to him and rolling her eyes. "Going public. Coming out of the shadows."

Axel scoffed. "Didn't we talk about this? I for one am sick of having superpowers and not being able to use them whenever I please. Besides, if it helps me get my heart back I'm up for it."

"Oh, I don't know about that…" Larxene said, stepping away from the window. "To be honest, I'm rather enjoying myself where I am. I mean," she continued, moving nearer Axel, "without my heart, I find that emotions don't distract me. I feel like I get a lot more accomplished, you know?" Here Larxene took Axel's hand, gently pulling him off of the crate.

"Besides," she whispered, "without emotions complicating things, I can appreciate physical feelings all the more." They were nose to nose by this time. "Don't you agree?"

Axel's raised eyebrows were the only external sign of his confusion. He hadn't found himself in such a situation in all his time as a Nobody. He hadn't forgotten what it was like, of course, but it was a surprise to have Larxene – ostensibly in the same position as he – suddenly bringing back a mark of his wholeness. Larxene's eyes were closed, her lips expectantly parted ever so slightly as she leaned into Axel. Fighting to remember proper protocol for such times as these, Axel slipped an arm about her waist, pulling her closer.

He closed his eyes, copying Larxene as he leaned down to meet her. The feeling of each other's breath against their faces was quickly overshadowed when their lips touched. Instinct carried them through this long-absent display of affection; the movement of Axel's lips against Larxene's felt in a way familiar, as did the warmth that blossomed in Axel's chest all the while. Larxene melted into him, fitting the curves of her body to the angles of his. Her hands drifted up to his neck and shoulders, while Axel's slid to caress her hips. Their kiss held them there for twenty seconds, and in that fraction of a minute both of them rediscovered an experience that had eluded them for as long as their hearts. They broke apart, cheek-to-cheek in an embrace that made them remember, if only for a moment, something they had been missing. Emotional closeness simulated by physical sensation.

Axel's eyes drifted open, and the feeling of Larxene in his arms began to die down to mere acknowledgment. _"That…how long has it been since that kind of thing could last?" _Axel's thought was then upstaged by a more pressing matter: voices. Someone – multiple someones – could be heard outside the nearby window. Larxene heard them too; she backed away, no hint of a blush coloring her cheeks as she smiled knowingly at Axel. With a quick wink, he gestured for them to hide in the shadows as the voices drew nearer. As they took cover, a group of teenagers passed the window, apparently walking on the ledge beyond.

"Hayner, what's going on?"

"Come on, Blondie, this is where we always hang out!"

"I told you to stop calling me that. Can I take the blindfold off now?"

"Until you remember your real name, you're Blondie. Hold on…"

Axel and Larxene's cloaks blended seamlessly into the dark spaces behind the crates. They saw the owners of the voices: three boys and a girl, entering one by one by way of the window. One of the boys, clad in camo pants, a black muscle shirt, and a gray vest, signaled to the girl to spin a boy wearing a blindfold. After seeing that he was sufficiently disoriented, a heavyset boy in a red jersey labeled "Dog Street" whipped off the blindfold.

"See, Blondie?" said the camo-clad boy, who was apparently Hayner. "We hang out on top of the clock tower – the ladder's through that door. Pence, Olette – think he's ready to see the place?"

Axel wasn't paying any attention to the rest of them. He was drawn to the kid that had been blindfolded – he looked somehow familiar. "Blondie" had spiky blond hair and wore a white jacket over a black one, with similarly two-toned jeans. But his defining characteristic was revealed without his blindfold: bright blue eyes like the sky on a clear summer's day.

Sora's eyes.

Axel's breath caught in his throat. "No way it's this easy," he whispered.

"What? I can't see anyth-" Axel clamped a hand over Larxene's mouth. "As your superior, I order you to follow my lead." Larxene crossed her arms in a huff, but complied.

By this time, Hayner and the others had crossed to the door leading up. "You two go up first. I'll make sure Blondie here doesn't fall." Sora's Nobody started to protest, but Hayner pushed him toward the door. Axel waited until Pence and Olette had started up the ladder, and then sprang into action.

He signaled to Larxene to take care of Hayner, and vaulted over the crates, tackling Sora's Nobody across the room. Before he had finished this motion, he opened a portal behind his target, ensuring that they'd fall through.

"Hey, let him-" That was all Hayner had time for. Larxene was upon him, and she knocked him to the ground, muffling his protests with one hand. With the other, she delivered a swift, precise, electrically charged strike to his neck that left the boy unconscious. She then leaped to her feet, stashed his body behind a crate, and vanished through Axel's portal.

First rule of the Organization: The mission comes before everything.

* * *

Larxene emerged into the Dark City to find Sora's Nobody struggling to break free from Axel's grip. Axel had him from behind by both arms, and was trying to sweep his legs out from under him. "Larxene! We've got a fighter here! Call for backup – I want him sedated now!"

Larxene paused, giggling at the scene before her. Here was skinny, 22-year-old Axel, wrestling a teenager and barely winning. "You sure? You look like you've got him under control."

"Let me go!" Sora's Nobody screamed, trying to hook a foot behind Axel's leg. "I'll take you both on! You don't know who you're dealing with!"

"Takes one to know one, kid," Axel shot back. "Larxene, signal, now!" With a sigh, Larxene threw her arms skyward, casting a colossal bolt of lightning up into the clouds. "You never let me have any fun," she pouted.

At that moment Sora's Nobody brought his heel down on Axel's foot. Axel yelped in pain, letting the boy go for an instant – which was more than enough. Immediately, the Nobody rounded on Axel and Larxene, planting his feet and holding his hands out before him. There was a flash of light, and now the teenager brandished a black-and-white sword in the form of a giant key.

A Keyblade. Axel stared, incredulous, then smiled. "You're our guy, all right," he noted, summoning his chakrams. Larxene smirked, stepping up to challenge the boy. "So you've got yourself a Keyblade," she taunted, summoning a fistful of knives. "I wonder if you know how to use it?"

The boy rushed Numbers VIII and XII, letting loose a battle cry – and suddenly, the light faded from his eyes. The Keyblade vanished, and he tumbled roughly to the ground, unconscious. Xigbar stood in the street behind him, an arrowgun carefully trained on his position. His eye met Axel's, and he winked. "You want to be careful with him, eh, lovebirds? Who knows what he could have done to you if I hadn't seen your signal and knocked him out." He chuckled, vanishing his weapon and striding casually over to the teenager's body. "I'll take it from here. You two report to Xemnas." He hefted Sora's Nobody over one shoulder, glancing at the street sign. "Welcome to Limbo Avenue, kid," he said, bringing his prisoner through a portal into the Gray Area.

The lounge of the Castle that Never Was was populated by about half of the rest of the Organization. Luxord and Xaldin were engaged in a game of chess; Xaldin did a double take at their new guest, and Luxord took the opportunity to move his opponent's queen. Lexaeus was in an armchair, typing away at a brick-brown laptop, and he set it aside and rose from his seat, focused on the new arrival. Xemnas stood behind the bar, making a smoothie; when he saw Xigbar and his captive, he cracked his knuckles, turned off the blender, and walked out into the room. He approached Xigbar, who whispered the details in his ear before handing over Sora's Nobody.

Xemnas snapped his fingers, and the boy came to immediately, his eyes fluttering open. When he saw where he was – or, technically, wasn't – he snapped wide awake, looking desperately around for an exit. Xemnas grabbed his shoulder, keeping a firm grip on it as he gazed into the younger Nobody's eyes. The boy held his gaze, fear eventually giving way to a defiant glare. Xemnas seemed to be looking for something in his eyes; after several seconds, he stood up to his full height and regarded the boy coldly.

With a sweep of Xemnas's hand, four letters swirled into existence in front of the boy:

S-O-R-A

The young Nobody stared at the name, confused. Who was Sora? Was he Sora? Why couldn't he remember anything?

Axel and Larxene portaled in, just in time for another gesture from Xemnas. The Organization looked on as the letters moved, swirling around each other before the newcomer's eyes. Eventually they settled into a new configuration – a new name.

R-O-X-A-S

The boy's eyes widened in amazement. Was this who he was? He was about to ask when Xemnas answered the question for him.

"Arise, Roxas."

Roxas glanced at the dark-skinned, silver-haired man, slowly getting to his feet. It was indeed he who the man was referring to. Xemnas held out a hand, and darkness swirled around his arm, coalescing into a brand-new, neatly folded Organization cloak. He offered it to Roxas.

"Welcome to Organization XIII."


	7. Simmer

The morning of the invasion of Twilight Town carried with it an air of rare excitement among the ranks of the Organization. Ever since the incident at Radiant Garden all those years ago, one of the primary laws of the Organization had been never to reveal it. Now this rule no longer applied. Not only that, but with so much going for them – thirteen members, an entire armada, and a partially-completed elemental cannon under construction – victory seemed inevitable. Breakfast therefore was a particularly bright affair, in light of the operation that was to take place in mere hours.

Xemnas sat at the head of the long table in the Hollow Cafeteria, placidly reading that day's _Twilight Town Courier; _on either side of him, Xigbar and Xaldin were deep in a discussion of strategy for the first battle of the impending war. They represented quite different approaches to it. Xigbar frequently punctuated his speech with aggressive gestures, having neglected his half-eaten breakfast as he anticipated a glorious campaign of destruction all the way to the Door to Darkness. Xaldin was the perfect foil for Xigbar's ambition, calmly dissecting a grapefruit and playing the part of the other general's voice of reason. As much as Xigbar boasted about not even needing an armada for victory, Xaldin was quick to remind him that attempting universal conquest without one would not be prudent.

Lexaeus polished off a quart of orange juice and signaled to a nearby Dusk for more food, predicting a drawn-out, house-to-house assault with little time for a lunch break. Zexion had elected to take over reconnaissance from Axel, and was working feverishly to finish a detailed grid map of the town proper, dual wielding compasses and holding a half-eaten banana between the second and third fingers of his left hand. Luxord was absent; he had decided to sleep in that day. Saïx, conversely, was already on his way to the core worlds to spy on the Heartless – the Organization's real enemies.

Vexen was working on the ANTI-Cannon in the factories for the day; Axel's place was empty for reasons known only to him. Demyx tipped his chair back on two legs, feet on the table, as one of his Water Forms fed him cereal. His hands were otherwise occupied, as he was focused intently on his own acoustic arrangement of the full score from Les Miserables. Larxene sat at the end of the table, eating salad speared on her knives, with which she insisted on eating "like a warrior should." Marluxia passed behind her, bent to whisper something in her ear, and circled the table to sit in his place with his waffles. Larxene grinned, winking back at him.

From a smaller table in the corner of the room, Roxas watched Larxene and shuddered. "Can't _imagine _anything's wrong with her, can you?" he quipped, trying to make conversation with the girl across from him.

Naminé followed his eyes, shivering when Number XII glanced at her and grinned wickedly. "I'd watch out for Larxene," she agreed, scooting her chair so that Roxas was between the two. "Now that she isn't the lowest-ranking member, she'll want to enjoy it. Her idea of fun…isn't the same as ours." She put down her fork, and adopted a fake smile, hiding her fear. "Why am I telling you this? We just met – I should be making you feel welcome. Have they put you anywhere yet?"

Roxas nodded, swallowing a bite of scrambled eggs. "Yeah – I think," he admitted. "I've got somewhere to sleep, at least, with a bed and everything. But there's this whole wing between my room and everywhere else that's just…empty." His gaze flicked to somewhere beyond Naminé and lingered on three Dusks fighting over table scraps. "It's like they stuck me in the farthest corner they could find," he sighed.

"It's not like that at all," Naminé clarified. "Not for you, anyway," she said under her breath, and Roxas detected a hint of regret in her voice. Naminé picked up the conversation again before he could pursue this mystery. "That whole part of the castle is yours – you're free to furnish it with stuff you find in other worlds." Both teenagers were aware of the unfortunate implications – "find" in this context meant "plunder."

"Like they did with me," Roxas muttered, rolling his eyes. His breakfast was forgotten; it was impossible to hold in his feelings any longer. "Look at me. I don't know why I'm here, why I was in Twilight Town, or even who I really am – or used to be." He stood abruptly, sweeping his plate aside; it crashed to the ground, and Naminé shrank back in her chair, eyes wide and wary. Roxas was too angry to care. "I've got powers I don't understand, this Keyblade I don't remember finding, and now they say I'm one of them. What do you think that means, huh? _What do you want with me?_"

Roxas screamed this last question, glaring at the rest of the cloaked Nobodies and practically shaking in his boots. Demyx yelped, fell backwards and crashed to the ground; blushing, he opened a portal in the floor and scurried through it. Some stared at Roxas, surprised, amused, or apathetic. Xemnas fixed him with a steely glare, folding his newspaper and rising. "That," he stated, his voice like icy needles in Roxas's veins, "is a matter which you need not fully understand at this juncture. For the foreseeable future, I strongly recommend you trust the motives of your superiors, whatever they may be." His words were neutral, his tone dangerous. "Perhaps that should be our cue to depart for the day's proceedings," he finished, turning to Xaldin. Number III stood, clearing his throat. "The Superior speaks correctly. Gentlemen and lady, report to Shipyard II in fifteen minutes." He thought a moment. "Oh, yes, and somebody find Axel or Roxas will witness firsthand the consequences of disobedience." With a bow to Xemnas, he disappeared; the rest of the Organization followed suit, a few with snide glances in Roxas's direction.

Only Xigbar remained, and he fixed Roxas and Naminé with a dangerous, one-eyed grin. "Don't get us wrong, rookie," he said. "We're happy to have you." The Freeshooter chuckled darkly and teleported off before Roxas could respond.

Roxas was frozen for a moment; then, defeated, he sank to his knees and buried his face in his hands. He stayed where he was for a minute or so before a gentle hand on his shoulder reminded him of Naminé's presence. He looked up at the young Nobody, smiling sadly down at him and standing out from his surroundings in her plain white dress. With a choked sort of sound that yet was not a sob, he stood and hugged her, suddenly realizing how alone he really was. Sensing this feeling of isolation, Naminé tentatively returned the unfamiliar display of affection. They stood like that for several stolen moments, allowing Naminé a rare period of contemplation.

In the time since Xaldin had discovered her and brought her to the Castle, Naminé had been a slave to the Organization. Her days were rigidly scheduled: wake up at 7:00 and have breakfast until 7:30, at which time she was to report to the senior operatives for observation and experimentation regarding her nature. Lunch at noon, followed by another round of testing until 4:00. After that time she was allowed access to the Blank Library and other common areas of the Castle until dinner at 7. From 8 in the evening until the next day, she was confined to her room, under strict orders not to leave or to disturb the others, all of whom had free access to her quarters at their discretion.

She was unique among the Nobodies in that she had no memory of her previous life and apparently no concept of emotion - the perfect, analytical, logical being, according to some of them. She had quickly fallen out of favor with her captors when she inadvertently refuted each and every one of their hypotheses. Yes, she appeared to respond emotionally to external stimuli, such as suffering or witnessing pain; with no memory or knowledge of emotions, the Organization was forced to conclude that she alone had the capacity to feel - not that they had ever mentioned this to her. No, she hadn't demonstrated any powers on the scale of the Organization members' - indeed, she seemed to possess none. She showed little interest in weapons or traditional toys, preferring to read - or even more, to draw. She was provided with sketchbooks and pencils; at first any drawings were confiscated for research purposes, but this practice was soon halted. She apparently drew nothing outside of her surroundings or whatever her imagination showed her.

Other than her drawings and her books, Naminé had no outlet for expression or activity that didn't involve serving the Organization in some capacity. Without an identity of her own, she was defined by her treatment by the other operatives - an unfortunate situation indeed, as most of them either loathed or ignored her. Xemnas never spoke to her, only gazed at her as if she was something to be studied and not conversed with. She'd take curiosity any day of the week, though, rather than Marluxia's hungry leers that were reminiscent of a predator stalking its prey. Was Marluxia jealous of her emotions, or indulging in something darker? Naminé didn't know, and dwelling on the matter only made it worse in her mind.

Xigbar wasn't overtly malicious, but his pranks verged on the truly dangerous - he had once moved Naminé's sparse furniture to the ceiling, and when a passing Demyx broke his focus the girl was nearly crushed by her falling bed. Zexion usually pretended not to notice her outside of the laboratories, but she had overheard him and Marluxia discussing her as they passed her in the halls one recent afternoon. She had caught something about "what might happen if _he _were allowed to run things," but who or what they were talking about was impossible for her to guess. Demyx mystified her - one day he would tell her good morning, perhaps even smile at her as they passed in the hallway - a replica, nothing truly amiable or friendly behind it, but the best the girl could hope for. On other days the Melodious Nocturne's smile turned wicked, a sure warning sign for a Xigbar-esque stunt that invariably left Naminé soaked. She had learned to be paranoid, although nothing the others ever did lasted - partly because she was a Nobody and could heal, and partly because the Superior had nearly turned Larxene into a Dusk when she was caught holding the younger female over the edge of the Tower of Blades.

Naminé's thoughts were finally interrupted when Roxas broke the silence.

"What's that?" he said, pointing at something in the air behind Naminé. She watched his suddenly inquisitive expression, drawn to those eyes – _"the eyes of a hero,"_ she thought furtively – then, remembering where she was, turned around, thankful Roxas couldn't see the crimson tint to her cheeks. Roxas was pointing at the heart-shaped moon, a skeleton of what it would one day be. "Up there? That's Kingdom Hearts. As far as I know, it's always been there."

"Why's it shaped like that?" Roxas asked. "What's it for?"

"I don't know," she lied.

* * *

The noise in the shipyards of the Dark City was deafening; cranes, drills, and countless other machines ran nonstop, assembling the Silver Armada from the city itself. The rest of Something From Nothing was a sunken, skeletal plain in an already dead city, stripped of any useful metals and mined down several hundred feet. In places, great pillar-like towers of earth and metal rose from the pit, having been mined around in favor of better raw materials. Whether through the ravages of time, industry, the winds or all three, one would occasionally become unstable and collapse, spilling debris across the ground as if to portend the ultimate fate of all great cities. The factory itself towered a mile above the wasteland, a magnificent and terrible spire of industry surrounded by a cloud of freshly constructed fighters and warships - some receiving maintenance from various worker Nobodies, others rising to join the rest of the Silver Armada in orbit. This impossibly tall building was connected to the city proper by an equally long bridge, which was barely wide enough for two people to cross side by side. The precarious height of this pathway was put into particular relief by the lack of guardrails anywhere along its length. Twelve smaller towers were spaced at intervals equidistant from the main tower, each marked with a Roman numeral from II to XIII, like the numbers on a clock.

The tower at the 1 o'clock position dwarfed the figures that waited at its entrance discussing the forthcoming confrontation. Xigbar and Xaldin argued below a great archway, welded together from various pieces of scrap metal and emblazoned with letters cannibalized from other signs, which spelled "Shipyard II." The Organization's highest-ranked field operatives, who also served as the generals of the Silver Armada and answered only to Xemnas, were the first and so far only ones to show up for the mission. This wasn't their primary concern.

"I still don't see why we need the sentient fighters," Xigbar muttered. "The regular ones with pilots work fine, and even those are pushing it. I've been over and over the mission reports, and the Twilighters absolutely do _not _have anti-air capability."

Xaldin scowled. "Need I remind you who lives there?"

"I _know _who we're going up against. I _know _who's most likely to organize any resistance, and for the eighth time this week we don't have to worry about him," Xigbar insisted, exasperated. "We've got a dozen battalions of Nobodies loaded up on my ship already. That's a division of over ten thousand, all of which can teleport, and that's before the elite companies of Dragoons, Snipers and Assassins in the vanguard. And if _that_ weren't enough, there's six of us in the field today. As far as I'm concerned, Yen Sid is a nonentity." The Freeshooter considered this firepower a point of personal pride, partly because his flagship was hosting the attack and partly because the Battle of Twilight Town promised to be the Organization's largest operation to date.

Xaldin opened his mouth to rebuke Xigbar for his hubris; he finally decided against it, turning and staring darkly off into the distance as if hoping to find the other operatives. After about half a minute he had composed himself and responded: "The other day I was reviewing some old history notes from the days of Ansem the Wise. According to our former teacher, Archmage Yen Sid was himself a Keyblade Master. After the last Keyblade War he declared neutrality, swearing to never again use his Keyblade unless the balance of Light and Darkness was threatened and without another to maintain it. If and when he enters the war, it _will _be on the side of the Light, and he _will _consider us agents of Darkness."

"Why should that matter?" Xigbar said. "We've got a Keyblader of our own, remember?"

"That's the only thing that worries me more," Xaldin retorted, but distractedly; Lexaeus had just stepped out of a portal nearby. "Xaldin, Xigbar - permission to voice concerns."

"Hello to you too, Number V," Xigbar cracked. "I'm fine, thanks, and so are the _ten-thousand-plus reasons your concerns are invalid."_

Lexaeus raised an eyebrow, both in surprise and annoyance, glancing at Xaldin for an answer. "He's been like this all morning," Xaldin quipped, pointedly avoiding Xigbar's gaze. "Some of us are less excited about the idea of going public."

"Is that cowardice I detect, Number III?" The silky baritone insult belonged to Marluxia, fresh out of another portal. "Surely you're more than certain of our military superiority? I would expect one of the generals to have full knowledge and command of our vast resources." Xaldin reddened noticeably, eyes narrowed and glaring viciously at the Graceful Assassin. Hatred of this neophyte and his lack of respect was one of the only common sentiments among the senior members of the Organization.

"You _will _address me with respect, Number XI," Xaldin replied testily, "lest you sabotage your own quest for a heart."

"If I may," interjected Lexaeus, interrupting a barb from Marluxia, "I don't doubt that we've got more than enough manpower. My problem is what to do about the witnesses. As far as we know, gummi travel is relatively limited in Twilight Town, besides the obvious special-interest denizen." He did not need to clarify who he was talking about. "What of the Heartless? Once Twilight Town falls they'll know, and they'll report back to Xehanort's Heartless or Maleficent." He had to raise his voice as the wind picked up, mingling with the thunderous sounds of machinery and the crackling noise of something burning in the distance.

"We've got it covered," Xigbar said with a careless wave of his gloved hand. "We'll brief you once we're in the air. Believe me, we've looked at this from every angle." Xaldin scoffed, but said nothing; he'd long since given up on arguing. "By the way, has anyone seen VIII and XII?"

"Negative," answered Lexaeus, inwardly rolling his eyes. He had a good idea of why they were missing, and regretted their lack of focus. "Axel ate quickly and left, and Larxene disappeared after breakfast."

"Off to find Axel, no doubt," drawled Marluxia knowingly. "Such a shame if they tired themselves out before the party started." Xaldin, unamused, took back control of the situation. "Make yourself useful, XI, and find them. I needed them here thirty seconds ago."

"No need, _General. _They come." Marluxia pointed opposite the factory's entrance, where two Nobodies walked hand in hand.

* * *

**Minutes earlier  
Somewhere near Something From Nothing**

Outside of the shipyards, Something From Nothing was totally deserted. This sector of the World That Never Was looked depressingly like a minimalist version of Hell, a blasted and stripped-down artificial valley whose features were determined suitable only for military construction. Brick and wood husks of buildings on high towers of worked-around earth loomed here and there, casting long shadows and towering ominously by the surrounding desolation. Here and there fires burned in garbage cans or piles of debris, offering light for small sections of land. The entire area was otherwise locked in a state of perpetual darkness; morning in the World That Never Was could only be distinguished by the Organization's diligent timekeeping. Larxene stood near a fire pit which hosted several shattered, smoldering crates. The average temperature of the world was around fifty degrees, and a light drizzle only exacerbated Larxene's discomfort. She hugged herself for warmth, willing small static charges to crawl across her skin and keep off the chill. She had been waiting in this forsaken place of forsaken places for ten minutes, which for her was six hundred seconds too many.

Just as Larxene was deciding to give up, her back heated considerably. A pair of black-clad arms encircled her waist, and she turned around to see Axel gazing down at her.

_Lucky bonehead. He's naturally warm; he doesn't have to do what I'm doing. _"Mmmm. Toasty," Larxene murmured, simplifying her thought. She snuggled closer to him, returning his embrace to maximize contact. Axel didn't move, and this registered as odd to Larxene. She looked up at the taller Nobody, searching his expression. His hair, slightly damp from the rain, seemed a darker crimson than usual, which contrasted nicely with the black of his cloak. Larxene studied his eyes, the same shade of green as hers. They told her nothing on their own. Her gaze drifted down across his cheeks, lingering on the twin teardrops tattooed there; someday she'd have to ask him about those.

Lower, lower…she stopped at his lips. Axel was smiling, but it was thin, false, manufactured. Another oddity, even if none of their smiles could truly mean anything. Axel parted his lips to speak, but Larxene didn't give him the chance. She raised herself up on her toes, gently but firmly pressing her lips to his.

_Now he responds. Typical man._

Axel tightened his embrace slightly, returning Larxene's kiss – but no more than once. His lips touched hers, and moved not, only acknowledging their closeness and not savoring it. _"Only once?" _It was Axel, then, who broke the kiss and stepped back from a somewhat sexually frustrated Savage Nymph. "Care to guess why we're here?" Axel began.

Larxene crossed her arms in mock contemplation. "I guess in a metaphysical sense, nobody knows yet. Personally, I think we're just two people who came about by the whims of destiny, and were fortunate enough to eventually hook up." She placed a hand on his chest, running a finger down his zipper. "Am I close?" Larxene closed in for another kiss, but was rebuffed. Axel gripped her shoulder firmly, pushing her back and crossing his arms defensively. "You know what I mean. Twilight Town. What happened there? You're flirty, but not like this."

Larxene rolled her eyes, turning and circling the fire. "Oh, is _that _what all this is about? Here for a minute I thought this was important." She turned back to him, now on the other side of the pit. "For someone who controls fire, you're remarkably frigid." The fire flared higher suddenly, exploding fifteen feet skyward; Larxene flinched and shut her eyes, and in her moment of distraction she failed to notice Axel portaling across to her. When she opened her eyes again, Axel towered over her, watching her carefully as the flames resumed their placid crackling behind them.

"You're avoiding the question, Larxene. Sora dies, giving us free reign to wage war. Suddenly you're into me. All I want to know is, is there a connection? And if so, what do you want?" Larxene stared at him incredulously, finally scowling and turning her back on him. "If you think I'm somehow turned on by death, you're dead wrong. Just because something happens at the same time as something else doesn't mean the two are related."

Axel considered this, turning back to the fire pit and scooping up a handful of flames. He tapped Larxene on the shoulder; when she didn't move, he willed the fire to leap to her cloak and quickly spread. Larxene tensed, half a second from dropping to the ground and extinguishing the fire, but after a moment she realized it wasn't burning her. Rather, it served as a pleasant, controlled counter to the chill of the morning air. Feeling foolish, she faced Axel again, grudgingly accepting his gesture and noting the way the tiny raindrops seemed to evaporate before touching her. Axel offered his hand; with a rapidly disintegrating glare, she accepted.

"Not that I'm complaining," Axel offered, pulling her closer. Larxene's eyes lit up, and a small smile flitted across her face before she returned to her apprehensive bearing. Axel passed a hand over her chest, and the fire leaped back into his hand. He closed his fingers into a fist, handily snuffing out the fire. "Look. No matter what I pretend to be – and let's face it, we're all pretending here – you of all people should know where I'm coming from. Yeah, the Twilight Town thing felt good, but my mind and my body are two separate things. There's always some part of me that's looking at the situation from the outside. Analyzing it." Axel's free hand, still steaming slightly, came to rest on Larxene's hip; the shorter Nobody shivered at its heat. "In case you've forgotten, we don't have hearts."

Larxene drew herself up against Axel, so that only their cloaks separated their heartless shells. "Exactly," she said, pausing to kiss his neck. "No emotional investment. No complication if and when we should choose to break things off. The fact is that the Organization isn't a very touchy-feely group, and I have _needs_. We all do." She fell silent, looking up at him. "Except possibly for Xemnas and Saïx…" Her attempt at humor failed to earn a reaction. Axel searched her eyes for deception for a moment; then, with a fierceness that surprised even Larxene, he grabbed the back of her head and crushed her lips against his. The intensity of his kisses bordered on violent, and it was all Larxene could do to fight back with her own mouth. Axel broke away once more, and Larxene held eye contact with him, eyebrows raised in anticipation. "I can indulge you." Axel said. "But only for my sake. I'll be watching you. Try anything and you'll have me to deal with." He cracked a smile then, and Larxene couldn't tell if he had been joking or not. She smirked, deciding not to care. _So eager to play this little game...No turning back, Axel._

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she concluded mockingly.

They remained where they were for two or three more minutes, the rain turning to steam around them as their body temperatures involuntarily increased. For a couple hundred seconds their bodies were all that mattered to each other; Axel's lips on Larxene's, her tongue battling for dominance in his mouth, held sway over their senses. Axel gripped Larxene's back, his fistfuls of fabric drawing her cloak tighter around her body, crushing her against him. The sensation of her cloak hugging her skin, covered underneath by only a tank top, bra and panties, made her shiver and press closer against Axel - a cycle of arousal that caused her skin to crawl with electricity. Every kiss buzzed against Axel's lips with a sensation that at first shocked him, but for which he gradually developed a taste bordering on hunger. The fire pit nearby flared higher as Larxene bent her head to nip at his collarbone, and lightning arced from Larxene's body to a nearby weather vane when he took the opportunity to do the same to her ear. Destructive energy crackled around their hormonal nexus, creating a spectacular light show visible from afar; finally, they separated, and the light dwindled down to the glow from the now-dying fire. Axel and Larxene exchanged self-satisfied glances, both awaiting the next time - for already, the moment had passed and the pleasure was fading from their emotionally numb bodies.

"Let's go," Axel told her. "We don't want to miss out on the fireworks, do we?"

Larxene giggled dangerously. "Get me all worked up like that and you can bet I'll be out for blood."

Axel took her hand, heating his palm as much as he felt Larxene could stand it. The crackle of electricity against his own told him she was thinking the same way.

Together they walked to the shipyards, and into their destiny.


	8. Unity

The gulf between Twilight Town and the World that Never Was could quite comfortably be described as the emptiest stretch of territory in the known universe. This Realm Between was an area unaligned with light or darkness, and thus roamed freely by denizens of both. Yet few dared to explore or dwell there – not because of any particular danger, but simply because there was nothing to be found. The expanse of empty space served as an intimidating parallel to a canyon on one of any number of worlds: forbidding in its presence, intimidating in its scale, and practically uncrossable.

But whether the reason for avoiding such a place – the emptiness or the atmosphere – one could still find Heartless. The forces of darkness, singleminded and insatiable in their search for hearts to devour, did not discriminate too much between populated worlds and wastelands. A single Dragonfly Heartless wended its way through the vacuum, yellow spiral-patterned wings buzzing as it searched for something to eat.

Its antenna quivered, alerting it to something off to its left. Turning, the lone Heartless studied the silver object in the distance, trying to decide whether it was a threat – if not, whether it was tasty. A rudimentary instinct resembling curiosity drove the Heartless excitedly toward the thing. The mysterious stranger grew larger in the Heartless's field of vision as it flew onward, and the Heartless began to see other, smaller specks of silver behind it. The Heartless's tiny yellow eyes widened as the gigantic whatever-it-was loomed over it, and right as it began to sense that it would be no match for the immense metal ship –

_SHBOOOOOOOM_

In the vacuum of space, the Heartless perceived the sound as a vibration throughout itself, before a searing heat burned its senses away. A red laser greater in circumference than the Heartless was tall vaporized the wayward creature, the remnant wisps of darkness dispersed by the passing ship.

_"_Hot _damn_! I swear, that never gets old!" Xigbar, in the weapons bay of his flagship, clapped a helmsman (a specialized Sniper Nobody) approvingly on the shoulder.

The silver specks that had been the Dragonfly's last sight were the assembled Second Fleet of the Silver Armada of Organization XIII. Over fifty ships strong and growing each day thanks to the tireless factories of Something from Nothing, this fleet was the strike force that would establish a permanent forward base on Twilight Town. From this staging point the Organization would be poised to strike at Hollow Bastion and Disney Castle – worlds that the Heartless had already claimed for their own. Today's mission barely merited the presence of even one of the Second Fleet's six carriers, let alone Xigbar's flagship, the Event Horizon; all of the fleet had been called into action, however. Taking the world would be easy enough, but holding it against an enemy who controlled the Door to Darkness would be difficult.

Xigbar surveyed the Nobodies manning the weapon consoles one last time, and then opened a portal back to the bridge. The bridge was about as lively as the weapons bay had been – that is to say, not very. Various Snipers monitored the other ships' systems, not once glancing up from their work to take in the vista of space through the quadruple-reinforced transparent titanium that served as glass. They simply weren't created to appreciate nature.

Xaldin was equally impassive. He sat in the captain's chair, eyes closed, meditating as he had for the duration of the voyage. The journey of light-years was passing in a matter of hours due to the subspace drive Vexen had invented, and Xaldin intended to arrive at Twilight town in a state of total serenity. He allowed the void that he called home to flow through him, clearing his mind of any apprehension or distraction, and gradually drew closer and closer to total inner –

_Fssssssh. Click click click click click_

A Corridor of Darkness opened farther up the room, and Xaldin twitched, disturbed. _"Damn him," _he thought, the cadence of Xigbar's boots on the cold metal floor shaking him out of his state of tranquility. He opened his eyes, meeting the cocky gaze of the one-eyed Nobody strolling to the dais that housed his throne. "I believe you're in my chair," Xigbar said for a greeting.

Xaldin glanced dispassionately aside. "What do you care? You haven't set foot on the bridge since we left the World that Never Was."

"Well, excuse me for enjoying myself," Xigbar retorted, not dropping the grin he had been wearing since he appeared. "I was just in the weapons bay watching us _kick ass_ – did you _see _that one Heartless that –"

Xaldin cut him off. "I tend to avoid wanton destruction, Number II, especially where our military is concerned." The Organization's Number III held eye contact with Xigbar, daring him to rebuke him as the Freeshooter stood halfway up the steps to the captain's chair.

Xigbar smirked. "You and I both know that our numbers don't really mean anything, and we both share command of the Armada. Leastways, that's what the Superior tells us." Xigbar ascended the rest of the steps, crossing the dais and towering over the seated Xaldin. His single gold eye narrowed, and the mirth within grew poisonous. "But here on my ship, I think I outrank you. I'm not a fan of insubordination, friend." The tense silence that Xigbar hoped would follow did not come; Xaldin snorted disapprovingly and rose from the captain's chair. "Oh, do shut up," he said, descending the steps. "Even you wouldn't be petty enough to report me for being your voice of reason."

"What's eating you, Xaldin? I'm dying to know." Xigbar sat down, folding his arms behind his head and stretching his legs. Xaldin did not respond at first, turning and moving from the stairs toward the bridge's massive window. After a silence that one would struggle to call companionable, he spoke.

"Have you ever, even for a moment, considered what we will do once the Heartless are defeated?"

Xigbar raised his eyebrows, unsure how to respond. Finally he scoffed. "Whatever we want, I figure. The Heartless are just a couple steps away from Kingdom Hearts at this point – once we take it from them we'll be that much closer to finding our hearts. Isn't that right?"

Xaldin watched the Event Horizon's cannons vaporize another errant Heartless, flicking his gaze left and right, watching the six carriers in formation around the flagship. "The balance of light and darkness is threatened, Xigbar. The greatest chance to resolve it was the existence of a Keyblade wielder – Sora."

"And now he's ours. Roxas. I don't see what the issue is here."

"Roxas concerns me, Xigbar. Not necessarily him directly, but what he represents."

"Your point?"

Xaldin bristled, composed himself, and continued. "My point, Xigbar, is that Sora would have brought balance to the universe. Light and darkness exist in equal measure; neither one fully controls Kingdom Hearts or the worlds it sustains. On his own, he would never have destroyed the Heartless; merely contained them. Now that we possess the Keyblade, we aim to strike them down at their source."

Xigbar considered this. "So you're saying that the universe will still be out of balance, except that it'll be the Light that wins."

"Precisely. And when that day comes, I hope we stand on one side or the other. In nothingness, we are outside the natural order of the universe. You know as well as I do that after Darkness fades, the Light would never suffer our existence. Unless we regain our hearts when Xehanort's Heartless is defeated, the Light _will _see us as agents of Darkness, and they _will _treat us as enemies." Xaldin turned to face Xigbar once more. "Do you finally understand my apprehension?"

Xigbar nodded, the remains of a smile still gracing his lips. "I get it. We're not dark, but we sure as hell look like it. What's that got to do with Kingdom Hearts? When it's ours –"

"It was never ours to take!" Xaldin raised his voice, taking a step toward his fellow Nobody. "We play at existence, Xigbar. We assemble our artificial Kingdom Hearts from those hearts released by the Heartless, but they are firmly under our control. They differentiate between neither light nor darkness, they are unaligned, because they have not returned to the real Kingdom Hearts. That Kingdom Hearts is also unaligned, but it controls the balance of light and darkness in the universe. I do not believe for a minute that Nobodies could alter or control it, simply because it is _everything we are not_. In destroying the greatest force of darkness existence has ever seen, we are handing the heart of all worlds over to the Light. _We are signing our own death warrant_!"

Xaldin's voice had raised from an impassioned rebuttal to a furious shout, and as its echo died out on the bridge even Xigbar had to pause, surprised at the outburst. The two Nobodies remained like this for another minute, neither daring to break the silence.

Then Xigbar chuckled.

"Heh. Heh-heh-heh…"

The chuckle became a laugh, and then a veritable roar of amusement, exaggerated to match the display of frustration Xaldin had deemed appropriate. It was not truly felt by Xigbar – merely chosen to reflect his disdain for Xaldin's philosophy. Finally he settled down, and sat up in his throne, leaning forward and shaking his head.

"Xaldin, Xaldin, Xaldin…you never were much of a dreamer, were you? Think about it. Why do we want to build another Kingdom Hearts?"

Xaldin had repeated his answer to himself every night before he slept. "We are searching for our hearts, and all others that we find are ours to use – for power, for wisdom, for as long as we lack our own."

"Wrong!" Xigbar shouted. "Wrong, wrong, _wrong! _What good has it done us? What are we using it _for?_ Not the ships, that's the subspace drives. Not the cannon, Vexen's still working that out. Not the Castle, we've got freaking central heating!" Xigbar leaped to his feet, unable to contain himself. "You nailed it, and you don't even know! We've got nowhere near enough hearts to do anything useful right now, we're barely able to get one in a hundred to come to us instead of the real Kingdom Hearts. But the Keyblade…that, we can use! It gets a heart every time, doesn't it? And our Kingdom Hearts is the only one Roxas knows to collect for, isn't it? And as our version of Kingdom Hearts gets bigger, it gets stronger. _My _point, Xaldin, is that there's a new balance of power coming." Xigbar shook his head, crossing to one of the consoles on the bridge. "Just look at this, it's easier for me to show you than to tell you."

Xigbar produced a flash drive from one of the pockets in his sleeve and inserted it into a port on the console, pressing several buttons. "I snuck a spy drone onto this world before it went dark," he explained. "Every so often, I watch it just to remind myself why we're going to win."

The window lit up with a massive video display of an army of Heartless crossing a field toward a village. Shadows, Soldiers and Defenders marched forward in a loose mockery of a formation, driving a crowd of defenseless humans before them. The slower ones were set upon and torn apart, their hearts ripped from their chests by the ebony claws of innumerable horrors. Shadows dove into the ground, tunneling a short way and emerging wrestling rabbits and badgers for even the smallest of hearts. Wyverns swooped overhead in pursuit of flocks of birds, too confused to be terrified, as hulking Behemoths tore buildings and trees to the ground with their massive tusks, roaring in triumph. Astride one of the Behemoths, a Shadow wore a horned, bloodstained skull on its head, waving a red robe like a flag on a disembodied spine. Xigbar pointed to it.

"See that? Remember Prydain, and how the Horned King just wasn't satisfied with an army of the dead? He discovered the Heartless, and in the end they were too much for him to handle." Xaldin said nothing, watching the horde with disgust. The view panned to the village square, where a youth of no more than seventeen screamed for the townspeople to run, to leave behind anything that wasn't necessary for survival, told them that it was going to be all right. His right arm was in a sling, and Xaldin could see that he had a sword tied firmly to his left. A window burst into flames nearby, and he turned to face a Red Nocturne as it flew out of a house and gleefully cast fireballs around. The boy cleaved it in two and was immediately set upon by three Shadows.

Xaldin watched the boy fight, and Xigbar laughed again. "Just look at that. That kid right there – name of Taran or something, I really don't give a damn – fancied himself a hero. And in the end he died just like anybody else." As he said this, Taran slashed wildly at each Heartless that challenged him, screaming as he killed or was wounded in return. As Taran swung for a Soldier that hopped up and down to taunt him, an Invisible silently materialized behind him, driving its sword through the boy's back. Taran collapsed on the blade, a sharp intake of breath the last sound he ever made, and began to dissolve as numerous smaller Heartless fought for the shining heart rising from his body. The camera zoomed in to watch as the Invisible swept them all back with its sword and took the heart for itself. The Invisible looked around for more hearts to devour and made direct eye contact with the camera, seeming to stare straight at Xigbar and Xaldin as it did so. It disappeared once more, and soon afterward the picture cut to static.

Xigbar chuckled. "Gets me every time," he commented. "But see, that's what separates us from Light and Darkness. There's no leadership, no accountability, no end in sight. There's just a bunch of fights between the two sides to keep the balance. Sometimes Light wins, sometimes Dark. The 'good guys' call the Darkness a lot of things – the Devil, Arawn, the Shadow Lord – but they're all the same thing. And they don't fight for the Darkness – they fight for their own power. The Light doesn't fight for Light – they fight for their own survival. Dark can fight Dark, and Light can fight Light, if they feel threatened. And that's what makes the Organization better – we're totally in charge. Nobodies answer to us and only us, and that keeps us united. The Light dudes aren't even aware of each other, mostly, and the Heartless are just a bunch of savages that default to whoever's the strongest. We've got a goal in mind, and we've got the resources to get out there and take it. We're the strongest side, _because we know that there are sides._"

Xaldin was about to respond when Xigbar removed the drive from the console, clearing the static from the window and revealing a slowly growing green speck in the distance. "Ah, that'll be Twilight Town," Xigbar said. With that, he opened a portal to elsewhere on the ship. "Grab the others, and meet me in the hangar, will ya? We should brief 'em before we go down there. Don't want to go in without a plan. Yo, Lexaeus!" Xigbar stepped through the portal and was gone.

Xaldin remained where he was, staring at the place where Xigbar once stood. He'd never seen him this focused on anything before, not even during the experiments the apprentices of Ansem the Wise had conducted all those years ago on the nature of the heart. _"And one day he might end up in charge of a world or two…Kingdom Hearts, he's merciless when he's on his missions, but with the power to regain his heart…"_ Xaldin had never wanted anything more than to get his heart back, but Xigbar seemed passionate about it in a way that didn't seem possible for a Nobody. Was there more than just his heart at stake?

Whatever Xigbar was planning, Xaldin wanted no part in it – and he would be constantly on his guard from then on. If there was one thing that he knew, it was that Xigbar wasn't afraid of collateral damage.


	9. Falling Star

"Come on, you chicken wusses, keep up!"

Seifer Almasy was more excited than he had been in quite a while. As the self-proclaimed protector of Twilight Town, he was in theory responsible for investigating any and all threats and oddities that menaced his home. In a place like Twilight Town, however, Seifer was often frustrated to find that his services were simply not needed. There hadn't been a violent crime in the town for as long as most of the citizens could remember, and even petty thefts were few and far between. There had been a handful of disappearances recently, but there was nothing he could really do about that. Most days he and the Disciplinary Committee were left to channel their aggression on those who looked at them funny or ran a little too fast.

His boredom ended today. Seifer sprinted to the top of the ridge about a mile and a half into the forest, his long white jacket billowing behind him as he ran. It almost hurt to stop and look back, waiting for his friends to catch up. He pretended to yawn, resting his gunblade on his shoulder and watching the others impatiently.

A tall, muscular boy in an orange tank top and sweatpants, a willowy, blue-haired girl with one eye covered by her bangs, and a tiny, bundled-up figure with a zipper-mouthed hat had only just reached the bottom of the ridge. All three were armed and racing to catch up with the unofficial leader of their group. Rai, the strongest-looking one of the three, vaulted higher up the hill with a massive bo staff. He put on an annoyed burst of speed on landing. "I'm runnin' as fast as I can, y'know? I don't do cross-country!"

The girl, Fuu, kept pace with Rai, the large chakrams she wielded not slowing her down in the slightest. "Showoff," she muttered, and suddenly dove to the right. Vivi, the smallest of the three, had blasted himself higher up the hill with some well-placed wind magic, narrowly avoiding tackling Fuu to the ground. "Excuse me! Sorry! Seifer, wait up!" Vivi cried. He landed and bounced, hopping onward with the force of his spell.

The rest of the group finally caught up to Seifer at the top of the ridge, doubled over and catching their breath. Vivi flopped to the ground and had to be kicked back to a standing position by Seifer. "Look lively, gentlemen!"

"Female."

"Gentlemen and lady, whatever." Fuu nodded approvingly. Seifer pointed with his gunblade across the forest floor eighty feet below them. "Come on, I saw it fall just over this way!"

Rai crossed his massive arms skeptically. "Ya sure it's in this forest? Who says it didn't just fly right past us, y'know?"

Seifer rolled his eyes. "_Someone _slept in today. Did you not hear it hit the ground this morning? It was all anyone could talk about!"

Fuu shook her head. "You."

Rai and Vivi chuckled amongst themselves before a nasty glare from Seifer shut them both up. "Okay, maybe it's just me getting all worked up. That just proves it! Am I the only one who gets excited about anything these days?"

"Calm down, man! I get it. It ain't every day ya see a falling star, y'know?" Rai jogged up to the edge of the ridge, looking at the expanse of forest beyond. "See anything, Vivi?" Vivi hopped up onto Rai's shoulders to get a better view, scanning the trees for anything out of the ordinary. "Looks clear to me," the black mage reported. "Seifer, what did it look like?"

Seifer shrugged. "Beats me. It was on fire, that's all I know. You see any smoke?"

Vivi stood up on Rai's shoulders, grabbing his hair for balance. "Hey! Watch it, y'know?" yelled Rai.

The little wizard searched the forest, sweeping his bright yellow eyes across the pine trees, the mountains off in the distance, the waterfall at the other end of the forest. The sun hung in the same spot in the sky it always did, the light swallowed up by the forest canopy. "Seifer, I still don't see…wait, what's that?"

Vivi hopped onto the end of Rai's staff, squinting at a point on the horizon and nodding after a moment. "Yep. See there? There's not much smoke but you can see where it took down some trees!"

Seifer pumped his fist in victory. "Score! I told you something big was going down!"

Fuu stood up on her toes, shielding her visible eye from the eternal afternoon sun and scanning the trees. "Mansion?" she asked uncertainly.

"Huh?" Rai, Vivi and Seifer followed Fuu's gaze to about half a mile to the left of ground zero. Sure enough, they could just make out the roof of the Old Mansion among the trees.

Even the massive Rai shivered at the sight. "Man, that place gives me the creeps. I heard some weird stuff about it, y'know?" Vivi nodded, hopping off of Rai's staff and hiding behind his legs. "They say there's a guy in there that only eats hearts!"

"Say what?" Seifer rolled his eyes. "Vivi, what are you talking about? Have you been listening to that dumb old 'Seven Wonders of Twilight Town' story again?"

"I'm serious!" Vivi persisted, rocking back and forth on his heels nervously. "Mostly he catches forest animals – squirrels and deer and stuff – but if you get too close to the house you'll fall into one of his traps and he'll cut your heart out and eat it in front of you!"

The group went quiet for a moment as they watched the Old Mansion for any sign of activity – shadows in the broken windows, smoke rising from the chimney, or even someone on the roof laying animal skins out to dry.

A thought suddenly occurred to Seifer. "Wait. Do you know anyone who got caught by this guy?"

Vivi thought a moment. "Well, no…"

"Mm-hmm. And nobody who goes in the house ever comes out, right?" All eyes were on Vivi now, who was looking from Rai to Fuu and back for support. "I guess not…"

"Then tell me something, Vivi." Seifer gestured at the Old Mansion with his gunblade. "If nobody who's been there ever came back, how do you know what's in there?"

Fuu shook her head. "Ridiculous."

Vivi slumped miserably, the point of his hat flopping to cover the stitched-on eyes as if in shame. Before anyone could say anything else, a sharp _CRACK _ripped through the still forest air. Flocks of birds flew up from around the forest, sent fleeing by the sound or whatever had made it. Vivi jumped, grabbing his hat and pulling it down over his eyes; Fuu and Rai whirled, looking for the source of the noise. Only Seifer was unfazed. He strode forward, standing right on the edge of the ridge and glaring suspiciously at where the falling star had landed. There was a _CRUNCH_, followed by a rustling sound and a visible disturbance in the trees. Seconds later the forest was shaken by a _THUD, _which was quickly eaten up by the thickness of the forest.

Fuu's eye widened. "Tree," she whispered. Vivi peeked out from under his hat, ready to dive back into it. Rai shifted to a battle stance as if expecting whatever had just felled the tree to come screaming out of the woods at them. The hand that held Seifer's gunblade tightened on the grip as Seifer steeled himself for danger. "Stick together. This could be trouble." The four ran down the right side of the ridge, Seifer in the lead, as they prepared to meet Twilight Town's uninvited guest.

* * *

**Hours earlier**

**Hangar 6, the Event Horizon**

**In orbit over Twilight Town**

The Event Horizon was, in a word, colossal. Half a mile tall and three times as long, it resembled a skyscraper turned on its side and bristling with missile launchers and laser batteries. The bridge was nestled in a heavily fortified bunker toward the back of the ship; fully a quarter of the upper decks were devoted to the powerful Singularity Cannon. This was a weapon capable of creating a miniature black hole at its target, able to obliterate ships and settlements alike. Xigbar's flagship possessed eight massive hangars capable of holding everything from hundreds of fighters to several mid-size corvettes. It was in one of these hangars that six members of the Organization found themselves. The huge space was filled with rows and rows of Mu-class fighters and Null Bombers. Several hundred Dusks, Snipers and other lesser Nobodies were scurrying and teleporting back and forth between the ships and machinery, all assembling for battle and ready to fly on a moment's notice.

The thick steel blast doors on the fore side of the hangar slid open as Xigbar and Lexaeus entered. They were deep in conversation about the logistics of urban warfare, debating the town's demographics and the feasibility of a blockade. The two Nobodies continued talking right up until they drew close to a simple transport shuttle in the middle of the hangar. Xigbar held up a gloved hand for silence, and gestured at the craft. "This is what I was telling you about, Number V."

Lexaeus studied the transport, noting that it seemed to be rocking slightly. The windows were tinted almost black, and it was painted dark purple in contrast with the sterile silver color scheme of the rest of the Armada. The Silent Hero also noticed that the landing gear had been cut off. He was about to ask why when Xaldin portaled into the room, followed closely by Axel, Larxene and Marluxia. All of them unconsciously stopped about thirty feet from the transport ship, and Xigbar cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Everyone here? Good, let's get this show on the road. It's about 0800 hours their time." He pointed at Axel. "You there. Flamesilocks. You know the town the best out of any of us, correct?"

Axel cracked his knuckles and smiled. "I like to think so," he said. "Want me to go in first?"

"I like your initiative, kid," Xigbar replied. "At 1300 hours, take a hundred, hundred and twenty Assassins and sweep the underground for any townies. When you're sure there's nobody down there, radio me and get guard posts set up at all the entrances. Larxene?"

"Present," chirped the Savage Nymph.

"I'll need you to take a group about Axel's size and sweep the forest within a radius of one mile outside the town walls. Sweeps will be conducted daily at 1300 hours, expanding by a mile each day. Same time as Axel's search. Lexaeus?"

"Number II," Lexaeus acknowledged him.

"Central Station is the hub for all travel in and out of the city. Secure the clock tower and the plaza and make sure there's no trains entering or leaving. I want that station under lock and key by 1800 hours. Marluxia?"

"Sir."

"Go door to door and get every man, woman and child from Market Street to the Sandlot assembled in the Tram Common. We're all gathering there at 1500 hours to announce that Twilight Town is under new management. Xaldin and I are locking down Sunset Terrace and setting up a temporary command post. Headquarters is moving to the clock tower and the train station later in the week. Any questions?"

There was an uncomfortable silence as the rocking from the transport behind Xigbar continued, punctuated by muffled bangs against the inside. "Besides the obvious?" commented Marluxia dryly. Xigbar had been waiting for someone to bring it up. He looked back at the ship, pretended to be surprised, and turned back to the group. "What, this old thing?" he asked, smirking wickedly. He stepped aside to present whatever it was to the rest of the operatives. "Gentlemen," he began.

"And lady," Larxene reminded him.

"Whatever. I give you…the S.S. Bait-and-Switch!"

Nobody said anything or approached it; Xigbar glanced around for a volunteer or a victim, and smiled wider. "Come on, she won't bite if you don't let her." None of the group needed to hear that. Lexaeus's hands tensed as if preparing to summon his tomahawk, Axel circled the shuttle cautiously, and even Larxene seemed wary. Xaldin stayed where he was, studying the shuttle apprehensively; only Marluxia dared to approach it. "What are you all so worried about? Whatever's in there couldn't possibly –"

A Darkball Heartless hurled itself against the shuttle window, tilting the craft, roaring and snapping at Marluxia's hand hanging inches from the glass. Marluxia froze, then let his hand fall and turned to Xigbar. "Intriguing. Tell me, how long have you been planning this?"

"Since we first started preparing for the invasion," Xigbar stated, knocking on the side of the shuttle. "The hull is solid nothing-forged disruptor steel, so nothing teleports in or out. This thing's got a hundred or so Heartless brought back from sweep-and-clears, plus whatever Vexen was kind enough to donate." There was a loud _CRASH _from inside the shuttle, and it shuddered disconcertingly. Xaldin, tight-lipped, glared at it without blinking.

"I was under the impression that you had a shoot-on-sight policy with these things?" Marluxia asked, waving a hand at the shuttle.

"What's this about?" Axel asked, cutting to the heart of the matter. "Why, exactly, are we hoarding these things? I figured the whole point was to fight the Heartless, not keep 'em around." Lexaeus shook his head disapprovingly, keeping his distance from the shuttle. "We all know what this is, and I don't like it."

"What?" Axel pressed, facing each member in turn and chuckling anxiously. "What am I missing about the box of death in this room?"

"Just tell him, Xiggy," Larxene said sweetly, toying with a knife. "Don't make me crack it open and show him."

"Yes, Number II, explain yourself," Xaldin demanded, approaching Xigbar and clasping his hands in front of him, a false smile darkening his glare. "Why have you been collecting Heartless behind the Organization's back?"

"Thought you'd never ask!" said Xigbar cheerfully. "Let me answer your questions with a question – Axel, this one's yours. Right now, what's the biggest threat to existence?"

"Besides us?" Axel shrugged. "The Heartless, of course. What's your point?"

"All I'm saying is that some of the Twilighters – Yen Sid, for instance – have dealt with Heartless before. They'd be expecting an attack from the Heartless. I figure, why surprise them until we have to?"

It dawned on Axel that today had the potential to be far more difficult and violent. "So you're saying we send this –" He knocked on the shuttle, and something awful knocked back. "–planetside, and set it up as a Heartless attack. What's the point of making us look good and mopping it up? It's our world either way."

Xaldin jumped in before Xigbar could answer. "If only he knew how to do it without unnecessary risk."

"Unnecessary?" Xigbar scoffed. "More than three or four operatives on this mission is unnecessary. The sentient fighters are unnecessary. This-"

"Are you still worked up over that?" Xaldin retorted. "If it's that important to you, you can tell them yourself. Send them back ten light-years and see how they-"

"Xigbar is right," Marluxia chipped in. The generals stopped just short of a fistfight and turned to send a death glare and a smug smile in their subordinate's direction. "Go on, flower boy," Xigbar prompted, grinning dangerously. "Why am I right?"

Marluxia alternately watched the tension between Xigbar and Xaldin and the thankfully Heartless-proof window on the shuttle. "All war," he answered, "is based on deception. By defending the natives from the Heartless, we put the forces of light in a bind. On one hand, we're already heavily armed and expansionistic. Any fool can see that. We're also a potential ally in the eyes of anyone interested in defeating the Heartless. I'm assuming, of course, our goal is minimal bloodshed?" Before anyone could answer, a cool, mechanical female voice echoed over the ship's intercom.

"Attention all personnel: the Second Fleet will arrive at its destination in half an hour. The Second Fleet will enter orbit around Twilight Town at that time. Operatives of Organization XIII, please report immediately to the bridge. All lesser Nobodies to battle stations."

"Right on schedule," Xigbar noted, pulling a handful of earpieces from his sleeve. "Here are your communicators – these must be worn at all times. I can't stress enough how important it is to keep in touch. You will receive code names for use in the field the first time you fire 'em up."

Xaldin had already activated his; he frowned, and fixed Xigbar with a look of disbelief. "My code name is Sky Captain?"

This set off a round of laughter, prompting the others to activate their communicators as well. Results varied.

"What is this? Constant Gardener? I suppose it's appropriate, but…"

"What are you complaining about? I'm Short Circuit."

"At least none of you are Lumberjack."

"Hell yes! Burning Man!"

"And I'm Space Oddity. Remember these," Xigbar cautioned. "Never hurts to stay a step ahead of the opposition."

"Sounds like some teenage boy made these up," muttered Larxene.

Xigbar cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. "Been a while since my last good fight. Oh, that reminds me…" The Freeshooter withdrew a remote control from his sleeve, tapping a few buttons. There was a low hum as the repulsors on the Heartless shuttle lifted off the ground. A klaxon sounded, and the noise echoed off the walls of the hangar, mingling with the mechanical grinding of the outer blast doors sliding open to reveal a glowing blue force field. Twilight Town dominated the view beyond the force field; the green expanse of the world was dotted with the silver ships of the Second Fleet. The thrusters came online, sending the shuttle roaring across the hangar and through the force field, straight toward the planet below. The shuttle sailed through space, entering Twilight Town's atmosphere and creating a plume of fire in its wake.

"You heard the lady," Xigbar commanded. "Everyone report to the bridge. Operation Civil Dusk is a go."

* * *

Yes, I'm back. No, I cannot promise anything about my update schedule. That being said, hope you're enjoying it!

ZB


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